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C.J.Jones,  DD 


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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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BV  4591  .J65  1884 

Jones,  Charles  John,  1818- 

1907, 
From  the  forecastle  to  the 


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FROM 


Ti  iSElffll  !l  ! 


lii 


If 

Mill. 


Fifty  Years  Among  Sailors. 


CONTAINING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  A  WONDERFUL  REVIVAL 
UPON  THE  SEA. 


BY 

CHARLE?^  .T.MOJSTES,  D.D. 

CHAPLAIN   OF   THE  SAILOIis'    SNUG   HARBOR,    N.    Y. 


WITH   AX   IITRODUGTIOI, 

BY  W.  P.  STRICKLAND,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


NEW  YORK  : 
N.    TIBBALS    &    SONS, 

124   NASSAU    STREET. 


Copyright  by  N.  Tibbals  &  Sons. 
1884. 


TESTIMONIALS. 


A  few  of  the  many  Testimonials  received  by  the  Author  from 
persons  who  have  read  the  manuscript  and  advance  sheets,  are 
here  submitted  to  the  reader. 

Froin  the  Rev.  Adam  McClelland,  D.D.,  Professor  in  the  German 
Seminary,  Dubuque,  Iowa. 

"  Your  book  is  exceptionally  excellent  in  its  style  and  con- 
tents. The  divine,  the  merchant,  the  seaman,  the  lover  of  tra- 
vel and  thrilling  incidents ;  in  a  word,  all  who  study  the  ways  of 
God  to  man  will  find  '  From  the  Forecastle  to  the  Pulpit'  a 
very  interesting  and  helpful  book." 

From  the  Rev.  Haivard  Crosby,  D.  D. ,  LL.  D. 
"I  have  read  your  book  with  intense  interest.  You  have 
brought  graphically  before  the  reader  the  personal  experiences  of 
many  sinners  converted  to  God,  a  testimony  of  great  power  and 
value  to  convince  others.  Such  books  should  be  read  by  Christians, 
with  which  to  refresh  their  souls,  and  to  meditate  on  God's  sav- 
ing grace,  instead  of  the  philosophical  books  which  only  touch 
the  intellect,  and  make  no  impression  on  the  life." 

From  the  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Ciiyler,  D.  D. ,  Brooklyn,  N.  V. 

*'This  volume  is  crammed  with  facts  and  incidents,  showing 
how  the  gospel  has  rescued  hundreds  from  spiritual  shipwreck. 
If  the  book  has  interested  me,  how  much  more  will  it  interest 
those  for  whom  my  beloved  brother  has  prepared  it !  It  ought 
to  go  into  every  forecastle  and  bring  Christ  with  it. 

May  your  newly  launched  craft  catch  the  gales  of  the  Spirit, 
and  convoy  many  sailors  to  the  '  desired  haven  !'  She  is  well 
ballasted  with  truth,  and  has  God's  lamp  in  the  binnacle.  God 
bless  her !" 

Fro?n  the  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Hall,  D.D.,  Secretary  of  the  American 
Sea??iens  Friend  Society. 

*' As  few  men  have  had  such   a  life  as  you,  out  of  which  to 

3 


4  TESTIMONIALS. 

make  an  interesting  biography,  in  my  judgment  your  '  From  the 
Forecastle  to  the  Pulpit '  will  be  accepted  as  an  extraordinary 
book.  I  have  been  entertained  and  instructed  in  perusing  the 
manuscript,  and  the  more  I  think  about  it,  the  more  my  assur- 
ance deepens,  that  it  will  do  great  good,  illustrating,  as  it  does, 
in  a  most  wonderful  degree,  the  special  providence  and  grace  of 
■  God." 

From  the  Rev.  E.  D.  G.  Prime,  D.D.,  of  the  N.  V.  Observer. 

*'I  have  read  with  great  interest  the  manuscript  of  a  volume 
prepared  by  Rev.  Chas.  J.  Jones,  D.  D. ,  entitled  '  From  the  Forecas- 
tle to  the  Pulpit. '  The  publication  of  the  volume,  I  am  confident, 
will  be  the  means  of  doing  great  good  among  seamen  and  in 
awakening  an  interest  in  their  behalf." 

From  Mr.  Wfn.  Garretson,  of  the  fi7-m  of  Bradley,  Garretson    (Sr* 
Co.,  Publishers,  Philadelphia. 

' '  I  believe  the  book  worthy  of  a  very  large  circulation.  It 
held  my  attention  for  two  full  hours,  and  interested  me  greatly. 
It  struck  me  as  being  well  written,  and  of  great  interest  and  value 
to  ministers  and  others  conducting  revival  work.  By  its  numer- 
ous instances  of  reformations  of  drunkards,  it  will  be  invaluable 
to  those  engaged  in  Temperance  work.  Children  from  ten  to 
fifteen  years  of  age  would  like  to  read  it.  It  ought  to  be  read  also 
by  every  man  who  wants  to  lead  a  better  life,  but  fears  it  is  useless 
to  try,  for  there  are  so  many  instances  where  men  have  felt  the 
the  same,  and  yet  have  succeeded." 

From  the  Rev.  Henry  G.    Van  Dyke,  D.D.,  of  Brooklyn. 

"Your  book,  'From  the  Forecasde  to  the  Pulpit,' made  a 
deep  impression  upon  me.  Your  style  is  exceedingly  clear  and 
vigorous,  and  the  story  you  tell  is  a  wonderful  illustration  of  the 
proverb  that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction.  It  cannot  fail  to  do 
good — not  only  to  the  men  of  the  sea,  for  whom  it  will  have  a 
fascinating  charm,  but  to  all  who  have  a  heart  to  appreciate  the 
triumphs  of  God's  saving  grace. " 


<^^  of  ?r!ncs>. 


% 


^    JAN  2  3  18o5  "^ 
CONTENTS,    '^^^oi^^^^i^  ' 


CHAPTER  I. 
Early  life — Leave    Home — Cyclone  -         -         -         -         "     13 

CHAPTER    n. 
E\il  courses — Awakening     ------         ZZ 

CHAPTER   HI. 
Conversion  and  college  life       -         -         -         -         -         -     54 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Theological  course — First  ministr}^         -         -         *         -         75 

CHAPTER   V. 
Mariners'  Church,   N.   Y.,    1854-5 — First  fruits         -         -     95 

CHAPTER   VI. 
A  word  in  season — The  young  heretic  -         -         -         -        120 

CHAPTER   VH. 
Church  work  in  1856 — Prayer  in  the  hatch-house        -         -  144 

CHAPTER   VHI. 
The  way  to  the  kingdom — The  dying  message        -         -       167 

CHAPTER   LX. 
Loss  of  the  St.  Denis — Ship  Robert  Parker         -         .         _  189 

CHAPTER   X. 
Coadjutors — What  the  lightning  did       -         -         -         -       205 

CHAPTER   XL 
Signs  of  the  times — Chilian  convert  -----  236 

CHAPTER   XH, 
Increasing  success — Answers  to  prayer  -        -        -        -       265 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Sixty   years  in  sin — Behold  the  Lamb  -         -         --         -282 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
Great  revival  in  the  Navy — The  faithful  Swede         -         -       299 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Increased  interest — The  dispersion    -         -         -         -         -  324 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
Outside  testimony — Wonderful  scene      -         -         -         -       340 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
A  gracious  providence— U.  S.  S.  Ohio — 77^^?  sinner  -         -  361 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 
U.  S.  S.  Savannah — Light  spreading      -         -        -        -       386 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Permanent  impressions — Death  of  Morris  -        -        -        -400 

CHAPTER   XX. 
Extent  of  revival — Gulf  Squadron  -         -         -        -        -       421 

CHAPTER   XXL 
The  Storm,  a  calm — A  wild  Christian        -         -         -         -  436 
CHAPTER   XXII.  ^ 

African  Squadron — Missionary  volunteers       -         -         -       456 

CHAPTER   XXIIL 

U.  S.  S.  Hartford. — Grace  in  the  Flowery  Kingdom  -         -  469 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

U.  S.  S.  Niagara — Gold  lace  and  blue  flannel        -         -      485 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
Pastoral  letters — Resignation    -         -         -        .         ,        _  ^03 

CHAPTER   XXVL 
XXVI. — Close  of  narrative — Glor)' to  God         -        -        -       517 


§tA\atmi 


TO    THE    MEN    OF   THE    SEA,    WHOSE    PERILS,    PRIVATIONS    AND    PRIVI- 
leges i  have  shared,  and  for  whose  salvation  i  have 
labored  and  prayed  for  more  than  forty 
years,   this  book  is  affection- 
ately dedicated  by 

The  Author, 


J/;.;  ;. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  subject  matter  of  this  book  is  such  as  to  com- 
mend it  to  all  who  are  or  may  become  interested  in  the 
development  of  spiritual  life,  and  the  enlargement  of  the 
sphere  of  individual  influence.  I  have  read  this  narrative 
of  Dr.  Jones'  eventful  career  from  "  The  Forecastle  to 
the  Pulpit,"  with  indescribable  and  unabated  interest,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end,  covering,  as  his  active  life  and 
ministry  does,  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century 
among ''the  men  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships." 
This  volume  will  more  fully  describe  the  peculiar  char- 
acteristics of  this  class  than  any  other  work  yet  pub- 
lished. To  the  landsman  it  will  reveal  mysteries  per- 
taining to  the  divine  life  of  the  soul  at  sea,  of  which  he 
has  not  even  dreamed.  To  the  sailor  it  will  come 
freighted  with  celestial  fragrance,  as  the  land  breeze 
comes  laden  with  sweet  odors  from  the  cinnamon  isles, 
and  encourage  him  also  to  keep  a  good  lookout  for  '*  the 
land  which  is  very  far  off."  The  reader  will  here  meet' 
with  some  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  of  the 
wonderful  grace  of  God  in  the  conversion  of  *'  the  abun- 
dance of  the  sea,"  and  in  special  answer  to  prayer,  as  well 
as  in  the  visitation  of  judgment  on  the  wilfully  and  finally 
impenitent.  He  will  here  read  of  bethels  and  mariners, 
churches  ashore  and  afloat,  made  vocal  with  prayer  and 
praise  to  God  ;  of  ships  speaking  each  other  at  sea,  for 

9 


lO  INTRODUCTION. 

the  purpose  of  telling  the  wonderful  work  of  God  in  their 
own  midst  ;  of  revival  after  revival  in  mid  ocean,  on  the 
shores  of  the  "  dark  continent,"  in  far  off  islands  of  the 
sea,  in  China  and  Japan,  in  distant  Australia,  on  the 
shores  of  the  South  Pacific,  all  along  the  coast  of  the 
United  States,  in  the  Army  and  the  Navy,  and  in  the 
merchant  service  ;  in  the  bayous  and  tributary  streams  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  Central  America,  and  in  Mexico,  until 
hundreds  of  vessels  were  permeated  with  the  blessed  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit  of  life.  Here  and  there  the  single  con- 
vert going  forth,  Bible  in  hand,  and  heart  aflame  with  the 
love  of  Christ,  growing  into  praying  bands  of  devout 
men,  worshipping  in  the  tops,  in  the  chains,  and  between 
the  guns,  and  burning  with  desire  for  the  souls  of  their 
careless  shipmates.  The  little  cloud,  which  at  first  was 
no  larger  than  a  man's  hand,  at  length  covered  the  whole 
heavens,  and  descended  upon  the  earth  and  sea  in  an 
"abundance  of  rain."  Where  God  was  not  known,  nor 
his  name  revered,  witnesses  to  his  power  and  grace  went 
forth  on  every  hand,  and  one  song  rose  up  from  every 
floating  sanctuary  : 

"Our  God  shall  have  dominion, 
And  reign  from  shore  to  shore. 
Far  as  the  dove's  light  pinion. 
Or  eagle's  wing  can  soar, " 

How  one  man  could  accomplish  the  numerous  and 
widely  diversified  works  which  the  writer  of  this  book  so 
faithfully  performed,  must  ever  remain  a  wonder.  In 
connection  with  his  pastoral  duties,  and  extensive  corres- 
pondence among  th^s  thousands  of  seamen  for  whose  sal- 
vation be  labored,  his  office  became  a  bureau  of  infor- 
mation, open  day  and  night.     From  it,  as  from  a  great 


INTRODUCTION.  II 

central  telegraph  station,  the  lines  of  his  influence  have 
gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  his  words  of  tender- 
ness and  counsel,  to  the  ends  of  the  world.  None  were 
so  low,  so  poor,  or  so  abandoned  as  to  be  beyond 
the  sphere  of  his  labors,  or  fail  to  enlist  the  sympathies 
of  his  great  benevolent  heart.  Unquestionably  one  of 
the  greatest  factors  of  Christian  beneficence,  and  one  of 
the  most  efficient  auxiliaries  of  the  missionary  cause,  is 
found  in  the  untiring  and  self-denying  efforts  of  those  who 
are  laboring  for  the  evangelization  of  the  men  of  the 
sea.  No  pen  can  fully  record  what  God  has  wrought 
through  these  multipHed  agencies  and  instrumentalities. 
Yet  here  will  be  found  vivid  representations  of  some 
of  the  peculiar  trials  and  triumphs  of  these  toilers  of 
the  sea  in  their  way  to  a  better  life,  as  well  as  some  most 
graphic  delineations  of  the  sublime  scenery  of  the  ocean 
itself — all  of  which  the  writer  saw  and  '*  part  of  which  he 
was  ;*'  for  although  he  has  been  '  '  in  deaths  oft,"  and 
in  perils  multiplied,  he  still  Hves  to  tell  the  story  of 

' '  A  life  on  the  ocean  wave. " 
The  numerous  sketches  of  individual  character  and 
experience  and  faithfulness  to  Christ — in  humble  spheres 
and  amid  formidable  obstacles,  are  of  seamen  whose  lives 
*  became  intimately  interwoven  and  identified  with  his 
own.  The  historic  facts  and  personal  reminiscences  seem 
to  increase  and  intensify  the  interest  to  the  close.  In 
this  world  of  selfishness  it  is  refreshing  to  find  a  man 
whose  entire  life  has  been  devoted  so  exclusively  to  the 
welfare  of  others.     It  may  well  be  said 

**  Si  monumentum  quseris  Interspice." 

W.  P.  Strickland. 


FIFTY  YEARS  AMOIG  SAILORS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

EARLY    LifE — LEAVING    HOME — CYCLONE. 

Parentage — First  religious  impressions — School  days— Struggle  with  pov- 
erty— Newsboy — The  l)roken  pane — Bent  on  going  to  sea — Farewell  to 
home— Life  on  a  man-of-war — Daily  routine — Sea-sports — First  convic- 
tions of  sin — Scenes  of  horror — Fall  overboard — Sinful  propensities— End 
of  the  cruise — Convict  ship — A  white  squall — At  death's  door — Home 
again— Off  for  New  South  Wales— On  peril's  brink — A  sepoy  mutmy — 
Ship  again  for  Australia — A  trading  voyage —Swarthy  web-feet — A  cy- 
clone— T^yoss  of  life — A  demoralized  crew — Our  wisdom  swallowed  up — - 
Deliverance. 

I  WAS  born  and  baptized  in  Deptford,  county  of 
Kent,  England,  in  the  year  1818.  My  parents  were 
honest,  industrious,  hard- working  people.  They  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  I  was  the  eldest.  Among  my  earliest 
recollections  are  those  of  the  Sabbath-school,  and  its 
surroundings.  The  first  scriptural  idea  that  made  any 
impression  on  my  mind,  was  the  invitation  of  Christ  to 
children,  illustrated  by  a  small  engraving,  with  the  legend, 
"  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  That  pic- 
ture of  the  Saviour  sitting,  the  children  gathered  about 
him,  and  his  hands  spread   in  the  act  of  blessing  them, 

13     , 


14  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

has  been  like  a  pleasant  vision  to  me  ever  since.  In 
some  of  the  wildest  orgies  of  my  wicked  life,  it  has 
floated  before  my  mind,  and  at  times  recalled  those  days 
of  my  childhood's  innocence.  I  was  sent  to  school  at 
intervals,  as  my  parents  could  afford  the  expense,  from 
the  time  I  was  five  years  old  until  I  v/as  nearly  nine. 
In  the  mean  time  other  children  having  come  upon  the 
scene,  increasing  the  family  expenses,  while  there  was  no 
increase  of  income,  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to 
economize,  to  keep  me  at, home.  The  sum  of  my  educa- 
tion at  that  time  was,  that  I  had  learned  to  read  well, 
and  had  acquired  the  rudiments  of  writing.  When  be- 
tween nine  and  ten  years  old  my  parents  removed  to 
London,  that  my  mother  might  find  employment  more 
readily.  She  was  very  industrious  and  quick  with  her 
needle,  and  as  my  father  never  earned  more  than  a 
pound  a  week,  her  continuous  labor  was  a  necessity.  She 
struggled  nobly  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door,  and  al- 
though she  did  not  always  succeed,  she  never  lost  heart, 
nor  slackened  her  hands.  I  have  known  her  to  make 
shirts  for  half  a  crown  (fifty  cents)  a  dozen,  and  she 
would  not  slight  the  work  even  though  the  pay  was 
so  small.  I  have  often  watched  her  as  she  plied  her 
needle,  weeping  bitterly,  but  I  could  not  learn  from  her 
the  reason  for  her  grief  I  need  not  say  that  while  labor 
was  so  illy  paid,  we  sometimes  suffered  for  bread. 

Soon  after  we  came  to  London  I  obtained  a  situation 
as  an  errand  boy,  at  a  bookseller's.  My  wages  reached 
the  magnificent  sum  of  three  shillings  (seventy-five  cents) 
per  week.  And  for  this  I  walked  every  morning  a  dis- 
tance of  nearly  two  miles  to  the  city,  carrying  w^ith  me 
for  my  dinner  a  piece  of  bread  and  butter  and  a  bottle 


EARLY    LIFE.  I  5 

of  cold  tea.  After  running  about  the  city  all  day  I 
walked  home  again  at  night.  This  I  did  for  over  a  year. 
Subsequently,  after  changing  places  several  times,  I  found 
myself  in  the  position  of  a  news-boy,  on  the  *'  Royal  Ex- 
change." 

It  was  while  thus  employed  that  an  incident  occurred 
*  which,  though  shght  in  itself,  bore  such  a  relation  to  my 
after  life  as  to  give  direction  to  my  whole  future  destiny. 
I  was  skylarking  with  one  of  my  fellow  employees,  and 
unintentionally  pushed  his  head  through  a  pane  of  glass 
in  the  store  window.  The  value  of  the  glass  was  enough 
to  absorb  the  whole  of  my  week's  wages.  My  employer 
informed  me  that  I  must  pay  for  my  carelessness,  and  as 
I  knew  it  would  take  that  much  out  of  the  common 
stock,  the  whole  of  which  was  barely  sufficient  for  our 
support,  I  then  and  there  resolved  that  I  would  go  to 
sea. 

As  soon  as  my  purpose  was  formed,  I  went  home  and 
told  my  mother,  who,  for  the  moment,  was  almost  stupe- 
fied. But,  recovering  herself,  she  strictly  forbade  me  to 
think  of  such  a  thing,  and  told  me  to  go  to  my  work. 
In  obedience  to  her  wish  I  did  .so,  but  I  was  no  longer 
the  same  boy.  I  had  no  longer  any  ambition  for  any- 
thing on  the  land  ;  I  neglected  my  business  and  lost  my 
situation.  My  father  then  found  me  employment  in  a 
wholesale  drug  establishment,  where  he  was  engaged  as 
packer.  Here,  however,  it  was  the  same  story.  I  neg- 
lected my  duties  and  brought  trouble  on  my  father,  who 
being  highly  respected  by  the  firm,  was  spoken  to  by 
the  senior  partner  about  my  conduct.  He  revealed  the 
secret. 

I   wa^s  bent  on  going  to  sea.     My    employer    said, 


1 6  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

*'  Well !  let  him  go.  My  brother  is  a  captain  in  the  Royal 
Navy,  he  will  find  him  a  ship."  My  parents  talked  the 
matter  over,  and  concluded  to  let  me  go.  I  was  delight- 
ed with  their  decision.  I  felt  like  a  bird  freed  from  its 
cage.  My  soul  luxuriated  in  a  sense  of  freedom.  I  was 
to  reahze  that  which  before  I  only  imagined,  the  great  seas 
running  mountains  high  ;  the  sight  of  far  off  lands  ;  the 
strange  things  of  which  I  had  read  :  all  were  now  to 
become  matters  of  real  experience. 

A  letter  to  the  commander  of  H.  B.  M.  Ship 
''  Pylades,"  then  fitting  out  at  Plymouth,  secured  me  a 
position  on  the  ship's  books,  as  a  second-class  boy.  The 
hurry,  bustle  and  excitement  of  the  preparation  for  my 
departure  now  absorbed  the  interest  of  the  whole  family. 
It  was  a  severe  tax  upon  their  already  straitened  resour- 
ces to  procure  me  the  necessary  outfit.  But  the  day  of 
departure  at  length  arrived.  Clad  in  my  new  sailor  suit 
of  blue  jacket  and  trousers,  and  low  straw  hat,  I  was  as 
proud  as  any  monarch  could  be  of  his  royal  robes ;  the 
envied  of  my  playfellows,  who  had  gathered  to  see  me 
off,  the  cynosure  of  the  neighbors'  eyes,  who  gazed  with 
admiration  at  my  rig,  and  pitied  me  as  they  thought  of 
my  peril  and  exposure. 

My  dear  mother,  weeping  as  she  pressed  her  farewell 
kiss  upon  my  lips,  said  to  me,  '*  Charlie,  be  a  good  boy  ; 
be  wilUng  and  obliging,  and  you  will  make  many  friends." 
I  promised,  and  taking  my  father's  hand,  turned  my  back 
upon  my  childhood's  home  to  do  battle  with  the  world  of 
waters. 

It  was  a  beautiful  Sabbath  morning,  the  6th  day 
of  June,  183 1.  My  father  accompanied  me  to  the 
steamer  which    was  to   take   me    to    Plymouth,  to  join 


EARLY    LIFE.  1/ 

my  ship.  He  remained  on  board  until  the  vessel  slo wed- 
up  at  North-fleet,  where  the  friends  of  the  passengers 
were  to  go  ashore  ;  he  then  gave  me  a  nervous  grasp  of 
the  hand,  pressed  me  to  his  bosom,  bowed  his  head,  and 
weeping,  over  me,  said,  *'  Good-by,  my  boy  !"  With  a 
word  of  counsel  and  an  affectionate  kiss,  he  hurried  from 
my  sight  to  hide  his  emotions,  passed  over  the  side,  and 
into  the  boat  that  rowed  him  to  the  shore.  But  so 
intent  was  I  watching  with  childish  pleasure  the  danc- 
ing of  the  waves,  as  the  steamer  forged  ahead,  that  I 
was  scarcely  conscious  until  some  time  afterwards,  that 
in  that  moment  of  parting  with  my  father,  1  had  severed 
myself  from  all  that  I  had  ever  known  of  earthly  ties.  I 
was  like  a  horse  that  had  thrown  his  rider,  and  was  cours- 
ing away  at  his  own  free  will.  No  friendly  hand  was  by 
to  check  my  career.  I  was  freed  from  the  restraint  of 
home,  and  at  liberty  to  follow  my  own  impulses  and  pas- 
sions. That  heart-felt  "  good-by,"  however,  still  rang  in 
my  ears. 

* '  Sweet  music  in  my  heart  I  bore, 
Long  after  it  was  heard  no  more." 

The  steamer,  plowing  her  way  through  the  waters, 
absorbed  my  attention,  and  I  was  soon  lost  in  delight  as 
before.  Two  days  and  nights  passed  rapidly  away.  To 
my  memory  now  they  seem  like  a  dream. 

On  reaching  Plymouth  I  proceeded  by  boat  to  the 
hulk  "Victory,"  alongside  of  which  the  "  Pylades  "  was 
to  be  rigged  and  fitted  out.  I  was  very  soon  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  life  in  a  man-of-war.  I  need 
not  say  how  different  it  was  from  anything  I  had 
ever  conceived,  how  strongly  and  how  strangely  in  con- 

2 


1 8  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

trast  with  all  my  earlier  experience.  I  very  soon  how- 
ever became  accustomed  to  my  surroundings,  and 
adapted  myself  to  the  change. 

Three  months  passed  away  before  we  were  ordered  on 
board  our  own  ship.  It  was  quite  a  relief  to  us  all 
to  hear  that  she  was  put  into  commission,  and  that 
we  were  to  leave  our  temporary  quarters  and  get  ready 
for  sea.  On  the  5th  of  September  we  left  Plymouth 
Sound  for  a  cruise  of  three  years,  on  the  coast  of  South 
America.  For  the  first  three  days  after  sailing  I  suffered 
from  sea-sickness,  paid  the  usual  tribute  to  old  Neptune, 
bore  the  badinage  of  the  more  experienced  among 
my  shipmates,  and  entered  with  spirit  into  the  daily 
routine. 

At  sea  my  station  was  in  the  main-top — in  port  I  was 
side-boy,  and  with  another  about  my  own  age,  did  duty 
at  the  gangway — handing  out  the  man- ropes  to  persons 
coming  alongside.  At  quarters  I  was  powder-boy  of  one 
of  the  quarter-deck  guns.  Our  ship's  armament  was  six- 
teen thirty-two  pounders,  short  carronades,  and  two  long 
twelves.  Every  evening  after  supper  the  drum  beat  to 
quarters,  and  the  crew  were  inspected  by  the  officers  at 
their  guns.  This  being  over,  the  retreat  was  beaten,  the 
cutlasses,  pistols  and  boarding-pikes  were  returned  to  the 
arm-racks,  and  the  guns  thoroughly  secured.  The  next 
command  in  order  was  "  all  hands  shorten  sail,  and  reef 
topsails  !"  Before  the  last  notes  of  the  boatswain's  call 
had  died  away,  the  men  were  scrambling  aloft  like 
so  many  monkeys  —  the  men  of  the  different  tops 
vying  with  each  other  in  their  efforts  to  get  their 
topsail  reefed  —  and  "  lay  down  "  in  advance  of  the 
others.     The   competition  was  very  eager.     The  process 


EARLY    LIFE.  1 9 

was  watched  with  interest  by  the  officers,  who,  while 
they  very  rarely  praised  the  men  for  the  rapid  execution 
of  their  tasks,  were  always  ready  to  blame  any  tardiness 
of  movement ;  and  woe  to  the  man  or  boy  who  was  the 
last  down  from  aloft.  He  was  sure  to  be  marked, 
and  if  the  tardiness  occurred  a  second  time,  to  be  pun- 
ished by  stopping  his  grog,  and  a  month  on  the  black 
Hst     If  he  escaped  the  "  cat,"  he  Vv^as  well  off. 

The  vessel  being  brought  under  easy  sail  for  the  night, 
all  hands  were  turned  up  to  dance  and  skylark — every 
one  before  the  mast  being  permitted  to  enjoy  himself  to 
the  top  of  his  bent.  Fun  was  the  order  of  the  evening ; 
singing,  dancing,  boxing,  wrestling,  story-telling — in 
short  anything  that  pleased  was  allowable  until  eight  bells, 
or  eight  o'clock.  Then  the  hammocks  were  piped  down 
and  the  ship  was  quiet  once  more.  It  was  on  one  of  these 
occasions  that  the  memories  of  home  and  the  parting 
instructions  of  my  Sabbath- school  teacher  came  back  to 
me  with  all  their  original  freshness.  I  told  my  thoughts 
to  a  boy  of  my  own  age,  who  had  been  similarly  blest,  and 
we  two  crept  away  in  the  darkness  to  weep  over  our  sins. 
We  were  in  all  probability  the  only  two  in  that  whole  i 
ship's  company  who  were  so  affected.  We  wept  bitterly, 
wishing  from  our  hearts  that  some  of  the  men  could  hear 
our  good  resolves,  and  punish  us  if  we  broke  them  by 
giving  way  to  profanity  or  drinking  any  more. 

While  in  the  midst  of  our  good  intentions,  the  ham- 
mocks were  piped  down,  and  the  shrill  call  of  the  boat- 
swain and  his  mates  interrupted  our  conversation  and 
our  prayers.  This  ended  the  first,  and,  I  think,  the  last 
deep  conviction  of  sin  experienced  by  either  of  us  during 
the  whole  cruise.     From  that  time  forward   I  imitated 


20  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

without  restraint  the  immoral  practices  of  my  shipmates. 

Before  I  was  fourteen  years  of  age  I  was  a  drunkard, 
and  for  years  drank  to  excess  whenever  hquor  came  in 
my  way.  Scenes  of  horror  which  would  have  shocked  me 
a  year  or  two  before,  now  did  not  affect  me  in  the  least. 
Violence,  intemperance,  death  even  failed  to  make  any 
salutary  impression.  The  authorities  resorted  to  the 
*'  cat"  on  the  slightest  occasion.  There  were  no  religious 
incentives,  nor  any  moral  restraints.  Instead  of  Divine 
worship,  even  in  form,  the  forenoon  of  the  Sabbath  was 
chosen,  once  a  month,  for  reading  the  articles  of  war, 
which  only  informed  us  of  the  many  ways  there  were 
leading  to  the  penalty  of  death.  These  articles  were 
committed  to  memory,  and  thus  we  were  constantly  re- 
minded of  the  perils  attached  to  any  act  of  disobedience 
or  insubordination.  The  name  of  God  was  never  heard, 
except  in  blasphemy.  The  officers  cursed  the  men  to 
their  faces,  and  the  men  cursed  the  officers  behind  their 
backs.  If  the  presence  of  death  could  have  moved  me 
to  fear,  or  induced  the  dread  of  eternity,  I  had  not  gone 
so  far  on  the  road  to  ruin,  nor  had  I  attained  to  that  pre- 
cocity in  sin  which  made  me  reckless  even  of  eternal  con- 
sequences. My  shipmates  have  more  than  once  been 
dashed  to  pieces  at  my  side,  by  falling  from  aloft.  I  saw 
in  that  vessel  what  few  men  have  witnessed  at  sea,  viz., 
dying  on  one  side,  flogging  on  the  other,  and  cutting 
throats  amidships  ;  and  all  these  at  one  and  the  same 
moment.  Moreover,  I  received  a  blow  myself  for  attempt- 
ing to  prevent  the  suicide  of  one  of  my  young  compan- 
ions. 

While  we  lay  in  the  harbor  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  had  a 
very  wonderful  escape  from  drowning.     I  had  been  over 


LEAVING   HOME.  21 

the  side  scraping  the  gangway  steps,  but  losing  my  hold 
I  fell  overboard  ;  and  as  ail  hands  were  holystoning  the 
decks,  my  cries  were  not  heard.  I  had  sunk  twice,  and 
come  again  to  the  surface,  but  being  unable  to  swim,  I 
was  just  going  down  for  the  third  time,  when  a  midship- 
man providentially  looking  over  the  quarter,  saw  me,  as 
the  tide  was  carrying  me  astern.  He  threw  a  coil  of 
rope  over  my  head,  which  I  grasped  and  was  saved,  to 
my  great  joy  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  my  shipmates, 
with  whom  I  was  somewhat  of  a  favorite.  Having 
cruised  for  three  years  on  the  coast  of  South  America, 
encountering  heavy  gales  on  both  sides  of  the  Horn,  and 
passing  through  more  than  the  ordinary  vicissitudes  of  a 
sea  life,  I  returned  home  to  my  mother.  No  longer  the 
innocent  boy  I  was  when  I  left  her,  but  a  hardened  sin- 
ner, and  a  confirmed  drunkard  and  blasphemer,  although 
not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age.  After  a  stay  of  a  few  weeks 
ashore,  1  left  home  and  friends  once  more  to  resume  my 
wanderings  on  the  wide  waste  of  waters. 

My  next  ship  was  a  merchantman  ;  she  was  chartered 
by  the  government  to  carry  convicts.  We  took  on 
.board  three  hundred  of  them  from  a  disabled  ship  at 
Cork,  to  be  carried  to  Van  Dieman's  land.  A  few  nights 
after  we  had  received  them,  a  fatal  disease  broke  out 
among  them,  and  thirty  souls  were  taken  from  us  in  the 
course  of  a  week.  Here  I  was  familiar  with  death  again, 
but  remained  as  careless  and  thoughtless  as  ever. 

On  this  voyage  out,  while  one  of  the  lower  deck  ports 
was  open  for  the  admission  of  fresh  air,  we  were  struck 
by  a  white  squall.  The  ship  was  thrown  on  her  beam 
ends,  the  open  port  being  on  the  lee  side,  and  the  water 
rushing  into  the  between  decks  through  an  aperture  some 


22  FIFTY    YEARS   AxMONG  SAILORS. 

eighteen  inches  square,  there  seemed  a  probability  that 
our  ship  with  her  three  hundred  and  sixty  souls  must 
speedily  go  down.  She  had  whole  top-sails  and  fore  and 
main  top- gallant  sails  on  her  when  she  was  struck,  and 
could  not  possibly  right  until  the  sail  was  taken  in.  The 
crisis  was  a  fearful  one,  and  was  as  agonizing  as  it  was 
brief.  It  was  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  were  not 
consumed.  We  succeeded  however  in  getting  the  sail 
off  her,  with  the  aid  of  the  prisoners,  who  were  released 
for  the  purpose  ;  and  they  worked  for  their  very  lives. 
In  a  short  time  the  ship  righted  and  was  soon  made  all 
snug  again. 

While  in  Canton,  in  China,  on  the  same  voyage,  we 
were  seized  with  a  sickness,  which  took  off  several  of  our 
crew.  I  was  brought  on  deck  to  die,  and  cried  bitterly 
to  the  steward  to  save  my  life,  yet  I  never  thought  of 
the  eternal  world,  nor  of  **  Him  in  whose  hand  my 
breath  is,  and  whose  are  all  my  ways."  Instead  of  glori- 
fying Him  I  ignored  His  very  existence.  Yet  I  was  raised 
once  more  from  the  brink  of  the  grave. 

Returning  home  a  second  time,  after  an  absence  of 
eighteen  months,  I  remained  by  the  ship,  and  made 
another  voyage  in  her  to  Sidney,  N.  S.  Wales  ;  carrying 
again  three  hundred  convicts.  On  the  passage  out,  the 
scurvy  broke  out  among  the  prisoners,  and  by  the 
request  of  the  representative  of  the  government  we  ran 
down  to  the  harbor  of  Bahia,.on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  for  a 
supply  of  fresh  provisions.  After  remaining  there  long 
enough  to  change  the  condition  of  the  men,  and  take 
in  a  supply  sufficient  for  a  month  at  sea,  we  got 
underweigh  to  proceed  on  our  voyage.  But  the  land- 
wind  dying    out    toward    evening,    we  clewed    up    the 


LEAVING   HOME.  23 

sails  and  anchored  for  the  night.  The  convicts,  some 
of  whom  were  seafaring-  men,  who  had  been  sent 
out  of  their  country  for  their  country's  good,  laid  a  plot 
to  break  out  of  the  prison,  massacre  the  crew  and  guard, 
and  take  the  ship.  Their  intention  was  to  run  her 
ashore  and  make  their  escape  into  the  interior.  Their 
plans  were  well  formed,  and,  but  for  providential  inter- 
ference, not  one  of  the  crew  would  have  been  left  to  tell 
the  tale.  The  chief  officer  was  awakened  by  a  noise 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  without  any 
assignable  reason,  rushed  on  deck  and  ran  forward  to  the 
fore  hatch.  Finding  the  light  out,  and  the  sentry 
sleeping-,  he  jumped  down  and  seized  the  lock  of  the 
prison  door,  a  very  large  padlock,  which  fell  to  pieces 
in  his  hands.  A  few  moments  only  were  sufficient  to 
rouse  the  ship's  crew,  double  the  guard,  and  secure  the 
men,  in  whose  possession  were  found  the  necessary  tools 
and  weapons  to  accomplish  their  ends.  Thus  were  we 
saved  from  assassination  by  the  merciful  providence  of 
God. 

Having  transferred  our  prisoners  to  the  proper  au- 
thorities, we  sailed  for  the  bay  of  Bengal,  and  passing 
through  Torres  Straits,  and  the  thousand  islands  of  the 
Indian  Archipelago,  anchored  in  Madras  roads.  Here 
we  took  a  charter  to  carry  Sepoy  troops  for  the  British 
government  to  Poulo  Pinang,  in  the  Straits  of  Malacca, 
and  to  bring  back  a  returning  regiment.  The  voyage 
out  was  peaceful  enough.  We  landed  our  passengers 
safely  and  embarked  six  hundred  others,  with  whom  we 
sailed  for  Madras.  But  while  on  our  passage  up  the 
Bay  of  Bengal,  the  troops  became  insubordinate  and 
violent,  and  finally  broke  out  into  open  mutiny.     Some 


24  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

real  or  supposed  wrong  had  been  done  them  by  their 
European  officers,  over  which  they  brooded,  and  at  a 
concerted  signal  gave  one  wild  yell,  and  rushing  aft  in  a 
body,  attacked  the  native  officers,  who  met  them  at  the 
break  of  the  quarter-deck,  and  held  them  temporarily  at 
bay.  In  an  instant  the  ship  was  in  a  state  of  wild 
excitement.  The  chief  officer,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
deck,  taking  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  acted  with 
great  promptness  and  decision.  He  cried  out,  "  Lay  aft, 
men  :  lay  aft  and  man  the  arm  chest  !"  The  captain 
said  to  him,  "Wait  a  moment,  sir."  '*  No  sir,"  said 
the  mate,  **  no  time  to  spare  now,  sir."  "Lay  aft, 
men,  lay  aft !"  and  they  did  lay  aft.  The  crew, 
twenty-six  in  number,  came  leaping  over  the  heads  of 
the  mutinous  Sepoys,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  write  this,  twenty-six  loaded  muskets  were  on  the 
poop-deck,  seven  feet  above,  pointing  down  into  the 
dense  mass  of  humanity  which  surged  to  and  fro  on 
the  quarter  deck  below.  The  rushing  out  of  the 
commanding  and  other  commissioned  officers,  armed, 
from  the  cabin,  and  the  sudden  appearance  of  the 
armed  crev/  in  that  elevated  position,  checked  them. 
The  officers  rallying,  drove  them  back,  and  the  muti- 
neers retreated,  ffinging  burning  brands  of  fire-wood  at 
us  ;  but  for  the  time  we  were  safe.  No  man  slept  that 
night,  however.  We  lay  on  the  poop  deck  with  our 
muskets  loaded,  each  man  having  a  cutlass  and  pistol 
under  his  head.  In  a  few  days  quiet  was  restored  and 
all  our  affairs  went  on  as  before. 

Thus  were  we  again  delivered ;  but  we  thanked  our- 
selves for  the  rescue  instead  of  giving  thanks  to  God,  to 
whom  we  were  so  deeply  indebted  for  our  courageous 


A    MUTINY.  25 

chief  officer,  the  right  man,  in  the  right  place,  at  the 
right  time.  The  captain,  who  was  a  North  of  England 
man,  and  brought  up  in  the  coal  trade,  was  now  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life  in  command  of  an  India  trader. 
He  had  little  acquaintance  with  the  character  of  the  men 
with  whom  he  had  to  do.  He  knew  of  course  the  dis- 
parity of  numbers  between  six  hundred,  and  less  than 
sixty — but  he  feared  that  the  sight  of  arms  in  the  hands 
of  the  sailors,  would  make  the  Sepoys  more  desperate. 
He  was  in  favor  therefore  of  delay,  and  an  effort  toward 
a  peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulty. 

The  mate  was  a  very  different  man.  He  knew  the 
mutineers  who  were  threatening  the  life  of  all  hands. 
He  was  moreover  prompt,  energetic  and  brave  by 
nature,  a  man  for  emergencies,  as  we  had  proved  on 
another  perilous  occasion.  It  was  well  indeed  for  us 
that  we  had  the  man  for  the  crisis,  otherwise  I  had 
not  lived  to  write  these  lines.  We  were  endangered 
by  the  same  class  of  men,  who  twenty  years  later  at 
Delhi  and  at  Cawnpore  showed  their  treacherous  nature 
in  the  massacre  of  the  missionaries.  These  men  needed 
prompt  treatment  and  they  got  it.  The  appeal  to  their 
fears  with  the  muzzles  of  twenty-six  muskets  at  their 
heads  was  more  potent  than  any  words.  If  the  precau- 
tion had  not  been  taken  when  they  first  came  on  board 
of  stowing  their  arms  away  in  the  hold,  this  mutiny 
would  have  had  a  tragical  termination.  We  heard, 
afterwards,  that  the  ringleaders  were  tried,  and  thirty  of 
them  hung  in  Madras. 

Having  completed  our  charter,  we  sailed  for  Calcutta, 
and  loaded  thence  for  home,  arriving  in  London  in  Dec. 
1837.     The   officer   referred   to  above,   had  during  the 


26  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

voyage  shown  a  deep  interest  in  my  welfare.  He  had 
taught  me  navigation,  and  now,  desiring  to  advance  me 
to  the  quarter-deck,  oiTfered  me  the  position  of  third  offi- 
cer in  a  new  ship  which  he  was  to  command,  on  the  con- 
dition that  I  would  wait  until  she  was  ready  for  sea.  My 
course  of  life,  however,  prevented  this.  Being  still  under 
the  dominion  of  strong  drink,  I  soon  spent  all  my  wages, 
and  told  him  that  I  could  wait  no  longer.  Before  going 
to  sea,  he  gave  me  a  line  to  a  friend  of  his  who  shipped 
me  in  the  barque  Eden  of  London,  bound  to  Australia 
with  emigrants.  This  was  in  January,  1838.  The  voy- 
age was  to  occupy  two  years.  After  landing  our  pas- 
sengers in  the  port  of  Adelaide,  we  sailed  for  the  East 
Indies,  and  engaged  in  trading  voyages  between  Calcutta 
and  the  Mauritius. 

During  the  passage  from  Port  Louis  to  Calcutta,  on 
one  of  our  trips,  we  were  overtaken  by  one  of  those  fear- 
ful cyclones  which  are  so  frequent  in  those  latitudes.  On 
this  occasion  we  lost  six  men  overboard.  The  ship  Avas 
capsized,  and  lay  on  her  beam  ends  for  several  hours. 
It  was  generally  admitted  that  had  she  been  loaded,  in- 
stead of  being  in  ballast  trim,  we  could  not  have  survived 
the  fury  of  the  storm.  In  order  that  the  reader  may 
have  a  clearer  conception  of  the  perils  through  which  we 
passed  and  the  effect  it  produced  upon  the  ship's  crew,  I 
will  try  to  describe  the  condition  of  things  when  the 
storm  was  at  its  height.  To  do  this,  I  must  go  back 
a  little,  and  begin  by  stating  that  in  Port  Adelaide, 
which  is  some  seven  miles  from  the  city,  the  men  who 
shipped  in  London,  deserted  us,  almost  to  a  man.  Ade- 
laide was  at  that  time  a  new  settlement,  laborers  were 
scarce,  and  wages   high.     Four  dollars   a  day   was  paid 


A    CYCLONE.  27 

for  building  adobe  walls.  The  high  wages  proved  a 
strong  inducement  to  the  seamen  to  break  their  contract 
with  the  ship,  and  leave  her,  that  they  might  secure 
some  of  the  wealth  that  seemed  so  abundant. 

When  ready  for  sea,  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
we  secured  men  enough  to  work  the  ship  to  Calcutta. 
On  our  arrival  there  the  beach-combers,  as  they  are  call- 
ed, deserted,  as  our  former  crew  had  done  in  the  last 
port.  It  became  necessary  therefore  to  ship  a  crew  of 
Lascars,  or  native  sailors.  We  then  became  what  the 
sailors  call  a  **  country  wallah."  A  few  Europeans  were 
kept  to  steer  the  ship,  while  the  swarthy  webfeet 
performed  the  actual  labor  of  working  her.  We  had 
thus  a  composite  crew,  consisting  of  thirty-six  Lascars, 
with  their  own  native  officers,  Serang  and  Tindal,  and 
four  Europeans  in  the  capacity  of  *'  sea  cunnies  ;"  also  a 
carpenter,  sailmaker  and  boatswain.  The  need  of  this 
detail  will  be  seen  presently.  Early  in  the  morning 
of  the  day  in  which  the  storm  struck  us,  we  were  bowl- 
ing along  at  tlie  rate  of  ten  or  eleven  knots  an  hour,  with 
the  wind  about  a  point  on  the  port  quarter,  carrying  low- 
er topmast  and  top -gallant  studding-sails  forward,  and 
topmast  and  top-gallant  studding  sails  aft.  About  four 
bells  in  the  morning  watch,  the  wind  freshened  consider- 
ably, making  the  booms  top  and  crack,  and  driving  her 
through  the  sea  splendidly.  In  another  hour,  so  rapidly 
had  the  gale  increased  and  hauled  at  the  same  time,  that 
we  had  all  the  studding  sails  in.  By  noon  the  royals 
were  furled,  and  the  ship  close  hauled.  By  supper  time 
she  was  plunging  heavily  into  the  sea  under  single-reefed 
topsails  and  main  top-gallant  sail,  together  with  the  jib 
and  spanker.    By  this  time,  however,  the  jib  boom  began 


28  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

to  show  signs  of  weakness.  This  the  mate  reported  to 
the  captain  and  suggested  the  propriety  of  taking  in  the 
jib  and  reducing  sail  generally.  The  captain  acquiesced 
at  once.  As  the  gale  was  evidently  on  the  increase,  the 
order  was  given  to  the  mate,  "  Take  all  hands  forward 
and  get  in  that  jib.  Be  lively  about  it — have  the  men 
ready  to  lay  out  as  soon  as  the  sail  is  spilled."  The  mate 
went  forward  to  obey  the  order.  The  captain  directed 
the  man  at  the  wheel  to  put  the  helm  up,  "  Hard  up  !  let 
her  go  well  off!"  *'  Hard  up,  sir,"  responded  the  helms- 
man, and  she  paid  off  beautifully.  At  this  juncture  the 
jib  was  hauled  down,  and  sixteen  of  the  crew  laid  out  to 
gather  up  the  sail.  The  captain,  thinking  there  had 
been  time  enough  to  get  the  jib  on  the  boom,  sang  out 
to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  ''  Meet  her,  meet  her,  my  man  !" 
The  wheel  came  rapidly  down,  and  the  ship  flying  to, 
plunged  heavily  into  the  sea,  as  she  did  so,  the  wind 
getting  under  portions  of  the  sail  which  had  not  been 
secured  by  the  gaskets,  tore  the  canvas  from  the  hands 
of  the  men,  and  bellying  out  over  their  heads,  knocked 
six  of  the  poor  fellows  off  the  boom,  five  of  them  falling 
overboard ;  the  sixth  fetching  up  on  the  back  ropes,  held 
on  until  he  was  rescued  and  taken  in-board.  At  the 
same  instant  that  the  men  were  slatted  into  the  waves, 
the  jib,  split  in  pieces  by  the  force  of  the  wind,  went 
flying  away  to  leeward,  with  a  noise  like  a  clap  of 
thunder.  As  soon  as  the  men  fell,  the  agonizing  cry 
went  aft,  *'  A  man  overboard  !"  One  of  the  Europeans 
sprung  into  the  starboard  quarter  boat,  to  clear  her 
away  for  lowering.  The  captain,  observing  his  efforts, 
commanded  him  to  stop,  as  it  would  only  be  a  sacri- 
fice of  the  boat  and  six  or  eight  more  men  in  a  vain 


A   CYCLONE.  29 

attempt  to  save  the  already  lost,  for  no  boat  could  possi- 
bly live  in  such  a  sea.  We  were  compelled  therefore  to 
leave  the  poor  fellows  to  their  fate.  We  strained  our 
eyes  in  vain  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  them,  but  the  relent- 
less sea  had  swallowed  them  up,  and  they  sank,  v/ith  their 
pagan  prayers  on  their  lips,  to  rise  no  more  until  the 
sea  gives  up  its  m.ultitudinous  dead.  It  required  but 
a  short  time  to  get  the  canvas  off  the  ship,  and  make 
her  snug  for  the  night,  as  we  fondly  hoped.  But,  as  the 
darkness  deepened,  the  force  of  the  wind   increased. 

The  sudden  death  of  five  men  who  a  few  moments  be- 
fore were  in  the  full  vigor  of  life,  could  not  but  cast  a 
gloom  over  us  all.  So  far  however  was  the  wind  from 
abating,  that  it  rose  from  a  gale  to  a  storm,  and  from  a 
storm  to  a  hurricane.  It  seemed  as  if  it  v/ere  impossible 
to  blow  harder,  yet  it  raged  even  more  fiercely  through 
the  first  and  middle  watches  of  the  night,  so  that  by  the 
time  the  morning  watch  commenced,  our  laboring  craft 
was  hove  to,  under  bare  poles  ;  not  so  much  as  a  tarpau- 
lin in  the  weather  rigging  could  we  show.  The  men 
had  been  sent  below,  out  of  the  way  ;  the  petty  officers 
alone  were  on  deck,  and  the  mate  walked  the  weather 
side  of  the  poop.  The  sea  was  mad,  the  ship  almost 
unmanageable  ;  her  helm  was  lashed  a- lee,  but  having  no 
after  canvas  on  her  to  keep  her  head  to  the  wind,  she 
fell  off  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  and  fairly  wallowed  ;  she 
made  very  bad  weather  of  it  all  night.  About  four 
bells,  six  A.  M.,  a  tremendous  sea  struck  her  from  stem  to 
stern-post,  on  the  port  side,  springing  every  stanchion  of 
her  bulwarks  from  the  forward  part  of  her  forechains  to 
the  afterpart  of  her  mizzen-rigging;  and  striking  the 
rudder  with  great  force,  parted  the  line  which  had  held 


30  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  helm  a-lee.  The  wheel,  thus  released,  spun  rapidly- 
round,  and  hurled  the  helmsman  overboard.  He  was 
the  sixth  of  our  crew  snatched  away  by  death  within  ten 
hours.  Alas  !  he  was  ''  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  and 
she  was  a  widow." 

The  sea  that  had  struck  the  ship  with  such  violence 
broke  aboard  of  her  and  flooded  the  decks.  Every- 
thing moveable  was  started.  The  sailmaker  was  v/ashed 
under  the  keel  of  the  longboat ;  the  carpenter  picked 
himself  up  in  the  lee  scuppers,  up  to  his  chin  in  water, 
with  the  coil  of  the  main  brace  around  his  neck.  Hav- 
ing crawled  up  to  windward,  he  noticed  that  the  helms- 
man was  gone  from  the  v/hcel,  and  was  the  first  to  re- 
port the  fact.  The  mate  v/as  thrown  into  the  lee  quar- 
ter boat,  in  which  the  goose  coop,  torn  from  between 
the  after  skylights,  bore  him  company.  It  was  evident 
that  the  situation  was  more  than  serious.  The  vessel 
was  on  her  beam  ends,  her  ballast  shifted,  and  holding 
her  down.  The  Lascars  were  below,  demoralized  by  the 
loss  of  their  shipmates  and  the  imminent  peril  they  were 
in.  The  condition  of  affairs  imperatively  demanded  that 
something  should  be  done  and  done  quickly.  The  sail- 
maker  suggested  to  the  captain  to  allow  him  to  get  up  a 
new  forestay  sail  from  below  and  set  the  head  of  it  on  j 
the  lower  part  of  the  mizzen  stay,  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  her  head  to  the  wind.  The  captain  ordered 
him  to  do  so.  The  sail  was  brought  up  and  bent,  and 
had  the  desired  effect. 

The  vessel  lay  easier  after  that,  but  there  was  no 
abatement  of  either  wind  or  sea.  The  force  of  the  hur- 
ricane was  simply  tremendous  ;  the  wind  fairly  shrieked 
through  the  rigging,  which,  on  the  weather  side,  was  .-^.s 


A   CYCLONE.  31 

taut  as  a  harp  string.  It  gave  one  the  idea  of  sea  and 
wind  in  wild  chorus,,  sounding  the  requiem  of  departed 
souls.  The  force  of  the  storm  culminated  at  about  four 
bells  in  the  forenoon.  At  that  hour  the  general  aspect 
was  wild  and  unearthly.  We  were  in  the  condition  de- 
scribed by  the  Psalmist,  "  Our  wisdom  was  swallowed 
up."  Everything  that  human  ingenuity  could  suggest  or 
human  power  accomplish  had  been  done,  yet  the  forces 
arrayed  against  us  could  neither  be  lessened  in  their 
fury  nor  moved  to  pity.  We  seemed  to  be  in  the  grasp 
of  a  merciless  fate,  in  the  relentless  clutch  of  povv^ers,  we 
could  neither  direct  nor  control.  The  only  being  who 
could  have  aided  us  we  did  not  recognize,  nor  think  of. 
The  shrieking  blast,  the  angry  sea,  the  groaning  ship,  as 
she  struggled  to  resist  the  terrific  onset  of  the  mountain- 
ous Vv^aves  marshalling  themselves  against  her,  following 
each  other  in  rapid  succession,  as  if  they  had  rallied  for  a 
final  charge.  These  things,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
weak  and  worn  out  crew  on  the  other,  made  our  situa- 
tion truly  appalling. 

Just  at  this  point  a  Lascar,  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
stalwart  of  the  ship's  company,  rushed  upon  deck,  mount- 
ed the  after  part  of  the  spars,  and  standing  with  his 
back  to  the  mainmast,  raised  his  face  and  his  right  arm 
tov/ard  heaven.  Poising  himself,  he  began  to  scream 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  as  if  he  were  shouting  to  his  gods 
for  help.  The  unearthly  sounds  that  came  from  his 
throat  startled  the  whole  ship's  company.  The  first 
impression  \vas,  that  the  man  was  insane.  The  crew 
gathered  in  groups  and  gazed  on  him  with  wondering 
eyes,  doubting  what  he  could  mean.  The  captain  came 
and  ordered  him  to  stop  and   come   down,   but  he  paid 


32  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

no  attention  to  him.  The  captain  then  sprang  up 
alongside  of  the  Lascar,  seized  his  arm,  and  attempt- 
ed in  vain  to  get  him  down.  His  muscles  were  tense 
and  firm  as  those  of  a  trained  athlete.  The  captain, 
though  a  strong  man,  could  no  more  move  his  extended 
arm,  than  if  it  had  been  that  of  a  bronze  statue,  which 
in  color,  in  rigidity,  in  drapery  and  in  pose  it  most  re- 
sembled. He  continued  in  that  position  for  some  min- 
utes, uttering  the  same  wild  and  unmeaning  cries  which 
rose  above  the  howling  of  the  storm.  He  seemed 
the  impersonation  of  some  rapt  prophet  or  seer,  hold- 
ing converse  with  another  world,  such  a  one  as  Elijah 
was,  when  he  invoked  the  judgments  of  heaven  on 
idolaters  and  persecutors  of  God's   covenant  people. 

There  was  a  peculiar  impressiveness  about  the  whole 
scene.  To  the  sailor's  m.ind  it  was  ominous  of  evil.  The 
attitude  of  this  swarthy  sailor,  pleading  with  some  real  or 
imaginary  god,  or  hurling  defiance  at  him,  the  pitiless 
storm  venting  its  rage,  the  superstitious  awe,  and  the 
sense  of  utter  helplessness  depicted  on  the  faces  of  the 
crew,  combined  to  make  a  picture  which  left  an  in- 
effaceable impression  on  every  one  who  witnessed  it.  It 
failed,  however,  I  fear,  to  produce  any  salutary  efiect  on 
the  heart  and  conscience  of  the  godless  crew.  The 
heatlien  called  upon  his  god,  but  the  so-called  Christian 
sailors  were  insensible  to  devotion,  and  were,  Jonah-Hke, 
"  in  the  sides  of  the  ship."  By  evening  however  the 
storm  lulled  sufificiently  to  enable  us  to  right  the  ship  by 
heaving  her  ballast  to  windward,  and  we  made  sail  and 
proceeded  on  our  way. 


CHi^.PTER   II. 

EVIL    COUFSES — AWAKENING. 

Evil  courses — Satanic  sugges''ons — Arrive  in  the  United  States — Ship 
"  Harkaway  "  — ^ly  first  BiMe — Encouragement  to  faithful  worker? — 
the  brig  "Billow" — the  Sv.'er"-er's  Prayer — Distressed  and  anxious — The 
Midnight  prayer — Broken  resp^ves — Sailors'  Home — The  secret  of  failure 
— Insane  purpose — The  dark  jreceding  the  dawn — Invitation  to  church 
— "Consider  vour  ways  " —'^ "he  terrors  of  the  law — Too  late — The 
open  Bible — Write  to  mother- -The  great  Physician — A  ray  of  hope — 
Asking  prayer. 

In  Calcutta  my  evil  -courses  were  corxtinued.  My 
only  wonder  is  that  the  [,oi:d  did  not  leave  me  to  sink 
in  the  vortex  of  vice  mtc  M^hich  I  was  daily  drawn. 
There  were  times  in  which  consilience  awoke  and  alarmed 
me,  by  exciting  my  fears.  But  these  were  only  lucid 
intervals  in  my  moral  insanity,  at  which  times,  evil 
suggestions  would  present  themselvej^  in  such  forms  as 
\  these  :  '*  Why  trouble  yourself  about  these  things  ?  You 
are  young  yet — leave  such  foolish  thought^  for  old  age. 
How  do  you  suppose  you  can  get  along  in  this  world  if 
you  give  way  to  such  nonsense  ?  What  is  the  use  of 
living,  if  you  cannot  enjoy  life's  pleasures  now  ?  Take 
your  shipmates'  motto  for  your  own,  "A  short  life  it  may 
be,  but  a  merry  one  let  it  be,  at  all-  risks."  Thus 
Satan  continued  to  deceive  and  blind  me,  and  I  to 
believe  and  be  led  by  him ;  and  giving  way  with  reckless 
3  33 


34  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

stupidity  to  temptation,  I  sank  deeper  and  deeper 
in  sin. 

On  our  arrival  at  Port  Louis,  in  November,  1839,  we 
found  an  American  ship,  the  **  Girard,"  of  Philadelphia, 
which  had  been  disabled  in  a  hurricane  and  abandoned 
to  the  underwriters.  The  '*  Eden "  was  chartered  to 
bring  her  cargo  to  New  York.  This  resulted  in  send- 
ing our  *'  Lascars  "  back  to  Calcutta.  As  we  were  now 
bound  to  the  United  States,  it  was  necessary  to  re-ship 
the  few  Europeans  who  remained  on  board,  as  well  as 
to  obtain  new  hands.  The  captain  offered  me  higher 
wages,  and  I  signed  the  new  articles  with  the  rest.  We 
arrived  in  New  York  in  February,  1840.  Here  I  left 
my  ship,  took  up  my  quarters  in  a  rum-hole,  in  Water 
Street,  and  dashed  on  with  unrestrained  appetite,  until 
the  landlord,  finding  my  money  gone,  told  me  it  was  time 
to  ship,  although  I  had  not  been  in  his  house  a  week.  I 
shipped  for  Savannah,  my  effects  consisting  of  an  oil  cloth 
suit,  "  a  donkey's  breakfast "  for  a  bed,  and  two  gallons 
of  rum.  The  rest  is  briefly  told.  Eleven  days  on  the 
passage  to  Savannah,  in  a  leaky  ship.  I  ran  away  from 
her  in  the  night,  was  put  in  jail,  kicked  out  in  the 
morning,  and  spent  several  days  in  drunkenness,  during 
which  I  sold  my  clothing,  and  spent  the  proceeds, 
together  with  my  month's  advance,  for  rum,  and  then 
sailed  in  the  *'  Olive  Branch"  for  Liverpool,  arriving 
in  May.  I  left  her  there,  only  to  pursue  the  same 
course.  In  a  few  days  I  was  outward  bound  again  in  the 
ship  "  Harkaway,"  Captain  Augustus  Proal,  for  New 
York. 

Up  to  this  time  I  could  truly  say,  '*  Refuge  failed  me ; 
no  man  cared  for  my  soul."     But  blessed  be  my  ever  dear 


EVIL   COURSES.  35 

Redeemer  !  He  had  followed  me  in  all  my  wanderings 
from  the  path  of  righteousness  and  virtue,  and  now  was 
about  to  interpose  for  my  salvation.  He  led  me  by 
a  way  I  knew  not.  I  shipped  before  the  mast  as  an  able 
seaman,  and  "  turned  to  "  on  Wednesday.  On  Saturday 
afternoon  the  captain  came  forward,  and  calling  the 
crew  around  him,  said,  in  a  pleasant  voice :  '*  Men, 
to-morrow  is  the  Sabbath  day,  and  I  should  be  very 
much  pleased  to  have  you  all  attend  church  ;"  giving  as  a 
reason,  that  we  were  about  to  sail  on  the  following  Tues- 
day, and  that  we  ought  all  to  take  the  love  of  God  to  sea 
with  us  in  our  hearts.  He  told  us  of  the  Saviour's 
calling  the  fishermen  on  the  shores  of  Galilee,  to  be  his 
disciples,  and  of  their  immediately  leaving  their  ships,  and 
following  him.  He  spoke  also  of  the  willingness  of 
Christ  to  save  sailors  as  well  as  all  other  sinners,  now,  and 
closed  by  exhorting  us  all  to  become  Christians.  We  all 
listened  attentively  as  he  unfolded  to  us  the  precious 
promises  of  God  to  save  sinners,  who  repent  and  forsake 
their  sins.  The  result  was,  we  promised  to  go  to  church. 
But,  when  we  met  in  the  forecastle  on  Monday  morning, 
a  rehearsal  of  Sunday's  doings  revealed  the  fact  that  but 
two  of  us — of  whom  I  was  one — had  kept  the  promise. 
I  had  been  to  sea  for  nine  years,  in  men-of-war  and 
merchantmen  of  different  countries,  leading  all  that  time 
a  wild,  reckless  and  sinful  life,  and  had  met  no  man  who 
gave  expression  to  religious  views,  or  who  manifested  any 
Interest  in  the  eternal  welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  Captain 
Proal  was  the  first  who  had  ever  brought  divine  things  to 
my  attention. 

Efforts  to  follow  up  the  good  impression  were  made 
during  the  passage  to  New  York.      Rehgious  services 


36  FIFTY    YEARS  A?JONG   SAILuRS. 

were  held  every  Sabbath  on  the  quarter  deck,  wind  and 
weather  permitting,  and  weekly  meetings  for  Bible  read- 
ing and  prayer,  in  the  cabin,  the  captain  officiating. 
The  crew  and  passengers  were  invited  to  attend.  He 
gave  me  the  first  Bible  I  ever  had  ;  and  when  at  the  end 
of  the  voyage,  J  was  called  into  the  cabin  to  receive  my 
wages,  he  again  affectionately  invited  me  to  turn  to  the 
Lord.  I  did  not  follow  his  counsel,  at  that  time,  but  it 
is  due  to  his  memory  to  say,  that  his  effort  to  secure  the 
salvation  of  my  soul,  though  not  crowned  with  immedi- 
ate success,  was  nevertheless  the  first  link  in  the  chain  of 
providential  circumstances  that  led  m.e  ultimately  to  the 
foot  of  the  cross,  to  a  personal  consecration  of  my  life  to 
Christ,  and  to  a  ministry  of  the  word  among  seamen. 

*'  Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth  !" 
*' Let  no  man  despise  the  day  of  small  things."  What 
encouragement  does  God  offer  to  faithful  workers,  "  to 
cast  their  bread  upon  the  waters,"  and  hov/  often  do  we 
see  the  fulfilment  of  his  promiseSp  in  its  return  **  after 
many  days." 

After  leaving  the  **  Harkaway,"  I  again  took  up  my 
abode  in  a  turn- shop  in  Water  street,  and  lived  a  life 
corresponding  with  my  surroundings.  My  time  was  di- 
vided for  the  few  days  I  remained  on  shore  between  the 
theatre,  the  dance-house,  and  other  places  of  evil  resort. 
But  I  was  not  satisfied  to  go  to  hell  alone.  The 
third  officer  of  the  "  Harkaway  "  had  been  impressed  by 
the  teachings  of  our  good  captain,  and  had  gone  to  the 
Sailors'  Home  to  board.  I  determined  that  he  should 
not  remain  there,  and  therefore  led  him  into  such  com- 
pany as  I  kept.  Under  my  tuition  he  soon  lost  all  seri- 
ous impressions.      Instead  of    the    prayer-meeting,   to 


AWAKENING.  ■  37 

which  he  intended  to  go,  I  took  him  to  the  theatre.  In 
a  day  or  two  we  separated,  but  not  until  I  had  led  him 
as  deep  into  the  gall  of  bitterness  as  myself. 

I  then  shipped  in  a  brig  called  the  ''  Billow,"  bound  to 
La  Rochelle,  on  the  coast  of  France.  We  were  about 
midway  of  the  Atlantic,  when,  on  a  beautiful  Sabbath 
morning,  it  pleased  our  Divine  Lord  to  arrest  my  atten- 
tion again.  One  of  my  shipmates,  while  overhauling 
his  chest,  threw  out  of  it  a  couple  of  tracts,  saying,  as 
he  did  so,  "  See  what  a  fellow  gave  me  in  New  York." 
The  little  messengers  fell  at  my  feet  I  picked  them  up 
and  began  to  read.  One  was  the  *'  Swearer's  Prayer,"  or 
"  the  Oath  Explained,"  and  the  other,  the  ''  Seaman's 
Chart."  The  Swearer's  Prayer  went  through  me  like  an 
electric  shock.  I  trembled  from  head  to  foot.  I  saw 
my  soul  in  great  peril.  I  never  had  realized  that  I 
had  been  praying  for  years  that  God  would  "  not  only 
shut  me  out  from  heaven,  but  also  shut  me  up  in  hell." 
Never  before  did  I  see  that  my  oaths,  which  were 
blurted  out  on  every  occasion,  and  with  almost 
every  breath,  were  prayers  to  God.  I  was  thrilled  with 
horror  for  myself  and  for  my  shipmates.  I  turned 
to  them  and  said  :  "If  this  tract  is  true,  we  are  all  in  a 
fearful  condition."  They  all  laughed  at  me,  and  turned 
what  I  said  into  ridicule.  "■  Ha !  ha !  "  said  one, 
*'  Jones  is  religious  !"  This  I  did  not  admit,  and  yet  in 
my  heart  I  wished  it  were  true.  I  was  distressed  and 
anxious  for  the  safety  of  my  immortal  soul.  What  if 
God  should  answer  my  prayer  ?  How  often  I  had  pray- 
ed, "  I  hope  God  will  strike  me  dead,"  and  called  upon 
him  to  damn  my  soul.  What  if  he  should  now  take  me 
at  my  word  !     I  felt  that  something  must  be  done  ;  but 


38  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

what  I  did  not  know.  I  began  to  read  my  long  neglected 
Bible  and  to  reprove  my  shipmates  for  their  profanity. 
This  however  only  brought  me  more  determined  opposi- 
tion. I  was  indeed  alone.  What  would  I  have  given  at 
that  moment  to  have  had  some  one  to  guide  me  in  the 
right  way.  It  seemed  as  if  m^y  burden  was  greater  than  I 
could  bear. 

That  Sabbath  was  a  long  day.  Night  however  came 
at  last,  but  it  brought  no  relief  to  me.  I  was  crushed 
under  the  sense  of  the  greatness  of  my  sin.  I  tossed  in 
my  bed,  while  others  slept.  I  cursed  and  prayed,  and 
prayed  and  cursed  alternately.  I  swore  I  would  drink 
no  more,  and  prayed  God  would  strike  me  dead  if  I  ever 
touched  it.  I  had  the  middle  watch  that  night.  The  cap- 
tain, in  whose  watch  I  was,  came  on  deck  at  twelve  o'clock. 
My  watchmate  had  taken  the  wheel  and  I  the  lookout 
(there  were  but  two  of  us  in  the  watch).  After  scanning 
the  heavens  a  few  moments  the  captain  called  me  aft  and 
said,  as  he  turned  to  go  down  the  companion  way, 
**  Charlie,  keep  a  good  lookout  for  the  brig,  and  call  me 
if  there  is  any  change."  I  answered  '*  aye-aye,  sir,"  and 
he  returned  to  his  cabin,  leaving  me  in  charge  of  the 
deck.  I  was  now  free  from  all  human  eyes,  and  felt  I 
had  a  good  opportunity  to  pray.  I  had  learned  that  if 
any  one  asked  God,  in  Christ's  name,  and  for  his  sake, 
he  had  promised  to  hear.  I  resolved  to  ask  him  to  for- 
give me.  But  a  difficulty  arose.  I  was  too  wicked  ;  He 
would  not  hear  me.  I  had  sinned  against  light  and 
knowledge,  and  he  could  not  forgive  me  and  be  true  to 
his  own  word.  I  found  that  I  had  in  my  own  heart  an 
enemy  I  had  not  dreamed  of  before.  My  pride  rose  up 
and  forbade  my  kneeling  even  to  God.     I  had  to  battle 


AWAKENING.  39 

with  myself  half  an  hour  before  I  could  consent  to 
bend  the  knee.  Even  then  I  compromised  the  matter  by 
kneeling  on  a  spare  spar,  instead  of  getting  down  upon 
the  deck.  I  then  and  there  poured  out  my  soul  in  sup- 
pHcation  to  God,  for  the  pardon  of  my  sins,  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  as  my  Sunday-school  teacher  had  taught  me 
years  before.  I  arose,  somewhat  calmed  in  my  mind, 
and  resolved  to  do  better  in  the  future.  But  I  did  not 
go  to  the  throne  of  grace  again — I  w^as  going  to  do  it  all 
m.yself.     Had  I  not  resolved  ?     Was  that  not  sufficient  ? 

I  continued  to  be  the  target  for  the  shafts  of  contempt 
and  ridicule  hurled  at  me  daily  by  my  shipmates. 
It  need  not  be  wondered  at,  then,  as  my  heart  w^as  but 
partially  subdued,  that  after  two  or  three  days  of  hope- 
less resistance  in  my  own  strength,  I  fell  back  into 
my  old  ways,  and  my  heart  resumed  its  wonted  hardness. 
All  my  good  resolutions  to  abstain  from  drink  were 
abandoned.  The  very  first  evening  ashore,  at  La 
Rochelle,  notwithstanding  all  my  oaths,  I  gave  way 
again  to  the  temptation  to  drink.  In  the  midst  of  my 
indulgence,  however,  I  was  filled  with  terror.  I  trem- 
bled, as  I  remembered  the  fearful  oath  I  had  taken. 
Having  swallowed  the  brandy,  I  stood  still,  waiting  to  be 
struck  dead.  After  a  second  or  two,  I  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  said,  *'  It  is  all  over."  My  shipmates  asked, 
**  What  is  all  over  ?"  I  replied,  ''  O,  never  mind,  go 
ahead."  And  then  plunged  with  an  utter  recklessness 
into  the  most  fearful  orgies  of  my  whole  life. 

I  lived  two  weeks  in  that  condition,  scarcely  daring  to 
become  sober,  lest  conscience  should  wake  up  and  assert 
its  power.  Those  were  the  darkest  days  of  my  dark 
life.     I  expected  death  to  come  and  prevent  me  from  the 


40  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

further  violation  of  God's  holy  law.  But  death  came 
not,  and  I  felt  that  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but 
to  go  on,  and  fill  up  the  cup  of  wrath,  as  I  thought  I  had 
gone  too  far  on  the  road  to  hell  to  be  recalled.  The 
passage  in  Matthew  xii.  43,44,  was  in  a  measure  fulfilled 
in  me,  for  "  the  unclean  spirit  returned  with  seven  others 
worse  than  himself" 

Just  as  we  were  ready  to  sail,  I  began  to  reflect,  and 
make  resolves  for  the  future.  But,  alas  !  resolves  made 
only  to  be  broken  again  and  again.  O,  how  true  it  is, 
that  "  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  des- 
perately wicked."  Who  can  sound  the  depths  of  this 
shoreless,  fathomless  gulf  of  iniquity  ? 

From  La  Rochelle  we  sailed  for  Boston.  On  this  pas- 
sage my  mind  was  torn  to  pieces.  I  was  in  constant  fear 
lest  God  should  cut  me  down  in  my  sins.  I  made 
many  resolutions,  in  my  own  strength,  for  the  next 
voyage,  but  God  showed  me  that  my  strength  was  weak- 
ness, and  my  wisdom  folly.  On  reaching  Boston,  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  a  Sailors'  Home.  But 
to  gratify  a  shipm^ate  by  taking  a  parting  glass,  I  went 
with  him  to  a  rum-shop,  was  induced  to  take  up 
my  quarters  there,  and  as  a  result,  spent  all  my  wages, 
and  all  my  advance  pay.  I  left  again  in  debt  (as  usual), 
taking  with  me  as  a  sea-stock,  a  gallon  of  gin,  and  two 
pounds  of  tobacco.  I  was  bound  to  Malaga,  in  the  brig 
'''Byron,"  of  Boston.  On  the  voyage  I  began  to  think 
more  seriously  of  my  future,  and  resolved  to  do  some- 
thing toward  bettering  my  condition.  Other  men,  espe- 
cially such  as  boarded  at  sailors'  homes,  were  comfortably 
clothed — I  was  destitute.  The  contrast,  to  me,  was  very 
painful.     1  had  worked  hard   for  more   than   nine  years. 


AWAKENING.  4I 

and  had  nothing  to  show  for  it.  I  heard  others  speak  of 
home  and  friends,  but  mine  were  thousands  of  miles 
av/ay,  and  there  was  httle  probabihty  of  my  ever  seeing 
them  again.  I  had  separated  myself  from  them  by  my 
GVv-n  bad  conduct,  and  could  not  hope  to  reach  them 
w  hile  in  the  course  I  was  then  pursuing.  What  seemed 
worst  of  all,  however,  was  that  my  shipmates  could  lie 
down,  and  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  sleep  soundly  and 
comfortably,  while  my  mind  was  tortured  with  fears  of 
death  and  hell.  When  they  were  sleeping  in  their  watch 
belov/,  I  was  weeping  over  my  sins,  and  trying  to  pray. 
But  alas  !  I  could  not  pray.  My  mind,  even  in  the 
midst  of  my  tears,  was  filled  with  cursing  and  blasphe- 
mies. When  engaged  in  ship's  duty,  my  waking  thoughts 
were  occupied  with  other  matters.  But  on  going  below 
to  rest,  I  was  again  troubled  about  my  soul.  To  quiet 
my  conscience  I  again  brought  up  my  Bible  from  the 
bottom  of  my  chest,  where,  by  a  sort  of  strange  fatality,  I 
was  sure  to  find  it  when  I  needed  its  counsel.  These 
frequent  convictions  set  me  upon  trying  to  do  something 
to  make  myself  better.  Like  every  poor  sinner,  when 
convicted  of  sin  and  danger,  I  wanted  to  purchase  with 
good  v/orks  what  God  has  said  every  one  must  receive 
"  without  money  and  without  price."  I  read  in  the  word 
of  God,  "  Is  any  among  you  afflicted  ?  Let  him  pray. 
Is  any  merry  ?  let  him  sing  psalms."  I  therefore 
brought  out  my  Prayer-book  and  committed  to  memory 
the  one  hundreth  psalm. 

I  was  very  fond  of  singing  songs.  I  now  substituted 
in  their  stead  this  psalm,  which  I  sang  with  tears  in  my 
eyes,  and  sorrow  in  my  heart.  But  I  did  not  thus 
make  myself  acceptable  to  God.        My  heart  was  like 


42  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

adamant  still.  Finding  no  benefit  from  this  mode  of 
proceeding,  I  made  new  resolves  to  board  at  the  Sailors* 
Home,  on  my  return  to  Boston,  thinking  that  if  I  lived 
with  well  dressed  people  I  should  be  ashamed  to 
act  differently  from  them.  In  short,  I  desired  to  effect  a 
change  in  my  ways,  yet  could  not  let  go  the  world. 
This  too  I  found  to  be  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 

On  the  ninth  of  January,  1841,  the  Lord  brouglit  me 
back  safely  to  Boston.  As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  fast 
alongside  of  the  wharf,  I  took  my  chest  over  to  the  Sail- 
ors' Home,  on  Fort  Hill.  The  Home  looked  as  if  it  was 
too  respectable  a  p^ace  for  men  like  myself  to  live  in. 
and  it  would  have  taken  but  little  to  have  turned,  me 
away  from  the  dooj'.  Yet  here  I  was,  by  the  mercy  of 
God,  in  sight  of  port.  I  took  courage,  rang  the  bell, 
and  waited  the  issue.  The  keeper,  Captain  Joshua 
Buffum,  himself  a  converted  sailor,  opened  the  door.  It 
was  an  unpretentious  dweUing-house,  and  looked  more 
home-like  than  anything  I  had  seen  for  years.  As  soon, 
as  he  appeared  I  apologised  for  coming  to  seek  a  home 
there,  and  thought  I  must  at  least  give  a  reason  for  my 
^presumption ;  so  I  said,  "I  would  like  to  board  here 
sir,  if  I  could,  and  I  will  tell  you  why.  I  have  boarded 
in  rum-holes  until  my  dunnage  is  gone,  and  my  wages 
all  spent  in  drunkenness  and  debaucheries.  I  have 
thought  therefore  that  if  I  could  get  here  I  might  escape 
these  things  and  better  my  condition."  He  replied, 
"  You  are  just  the  man  we  want.     Walk  in,  sir." 

*'  Sir  ?"  I  thought  to  myself;  how  long  is  it  since  I 
have  had  a  handle  to  my  naaie  ?  Captain  Buffum  led 
mc  into  the  reading-room,  and  told  me  to  sit  there 
for   a  moment    and  he   would   show   n:ie   my  room.     I 


AWAKENING.  43 

came  to  an  anchor  as  close  by  the  door  as  I  could  get, 
and  began  to  reconnoitre.  My  first  conclusion,  after 
glancing  around  the  room  at  the  boarders,  was,  that  I 
had  no  business  there  unless  I  could  be  as  respectable  in 
appearance.  At  that  time  I  had  not  a  jacket  to  my 
back.  I  had  sold  my  last  one  in  Savannah  for'  rum 
— my  only  pants  were  split  across  the  knee,  and  my 
wardrobe  generally  was  of  little  worth.  I  made  new 
resolutions.  First,  I  would  be  a  sober  man,  and  sec- 
ondly I  would  spend  my  money  in  procuring  better 
clothing.  Such  resolutions  were  kept  only  until  some 
one  tempted  me  to  break  them.  One  resolve,  to  abstain 
from  drink,  I  kept  a  whole  hour — another,  five  days; 
but  on  the  sixth  day  a  woman  urged  me  to  take  some 
cordial,  and  I  had  not  the  mioral  courage  to  say  no. 
O,  that  women  knew  the  power  for  good  they  might  have 
over  the  mind  of  the  sailor  ! 

It  may  appear  strange  that  I  should  so  often  deter- 
mine to  do  good  and  avoid  evil,  and  yet  so  often  fail. 
The  secret  is  not  far  to  find.  I  did  not  see  it  then  as  I 
see  it  now.  I  visited  the  theatre,  dance-house,  cir- 
cus and  bar-rooms.  I  was  continually  in  the  whirlpool 
of  temptation.  If  I  was  drawn  into  the  vortex,  would  it 
have  been  a  miracle  ?  When  I  attempted  to  carry  out 
my  purpose  of  amendment,  I  became  the  butt  of  my 
companions,  who  jeered  at  my  weak  efforts.  In  fact  I 
could  not  stand  without  divine  assistance,  and  that  I 
ignored.  Breaking  my  resolutions  from  time  to  time, 
only  left  me  weaker  than  before.  I  began  to  feel  that  it 
was  useless  to  make  any  further  attempts  at  reform,  as 
it  was  but  a  system  of  lying,  at  best.  Having  reached 
this  conclusion,  my  conscientious  scruples  were  relaxed. 


44  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

Instead- of  resisting  the  evil  and  seeking  help  from  above, 
I  simply  squared  away  and  ran  before  it.  My  insatia- 
ble thirst  led  me  to  break  away  from  all  barriers  and  re- 
straints, and  to  resolve  that  resistance  was  useless.  I 
must  accept  the  inevitable,  and  never  attempt  to  do 
good  any  more. 

With  this  insane  purpose,  I  made  what  seemed  to  me 
the  final  plunge  into  ruin.  I  became  furious  and  reck- 
less, roamed  the  streets  on  Saturday  night  like  a  mad- 
man, seeking  for  some  dance-house  where  I  could  gratify 
my  cravings  for  unnatural  excitement.  From  such  a 
place  I  reeled  home  after  midnight,  and  on  the  Sabbath 
morning  was  out  early  to  renew  my  debauch.  But  the 
liquor  stores  were  closed  until  after  church  time,  and  as 
it  was  snowing  hard,  I  went  back  to  the  Home,  farther 
from  God  than  ever  before,  as  I  supposed.  But,  O,  the 
sovereign  mercy  of  God  !  **  How  unsearchable  are  his 
judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out."  '*  Truly  his 
ways  are  not  our  ways,  nor  his  thoughts  our  thoughts," 
or  he  had  left  me  to  fill  up  the  cup  of  wrath  against  the 
day  of  v/rath.  *'  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,"  dealt  not 
with  me  as  I  deserved.  To  me,  the  darkest  hour  had 
indeed  come.  But  it  was  the  dark  that  immediately 
precedes  the  dawn. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  I  landed  in  Boston  on  the 
9th  of  January.  This  Sabbath  day  was  the  17th.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Sabbath  of  the  lOth,  on  which  day 
I  heard  '*  Father  Taylor  "  preach,  and  was  pricked  to 
the  heart,  because  I  could  find  in  myself  no  witness  for 
Christ,  the  interval  had  been  spent  in  revellings  and 
drunkenness.  The  theatre  was  preferred  to  the  prayer 
meetings,  and   this   Sabbath  day  found   me  as  reckless 


AWAKENING.  45 

and  impenitent  as  before.  But  O,  the  depth  of  mercy, 
boundless  compassion,  undying  love  !  Christ  sent  his 
servant  with  another  invitation. 

Captain  Buffum,  at  about  ten  o'clock,  came  into  the 
reading-room  and  asked  who  would  go  to  church  with 
him.  The  men  generally  responded,  rose,  and  went. 
I  sat  still,  watching  the  snow-flakes  beat  against  the  win- 
dow. After  closing  the  door,  and  going  out  with  the 
men,  the  captain  came  back  again,  and  in  a  pleasant  and 
kind  tone,  said  to  me,  "  Come  along,  CharHe."  But  as  I 
have  before  me  a  letter  from  my  friend  of  1841 — who  is 
now  a  minister  of  the  Gospel — under  the  date  of  January 
8th,  1880,  I  will  let  him  tell  the  story.      He  says: 

*'  I  was  in  Salem,  my  native  place,  some  weeks  ago,  and  had  an 
opportunity  to  preach  in  the  Bethel  church.    I  related  the  circum- 
stance of  my  early  acquaintance  with  you,   and  what  had  grown 
out  of  it ;   and  I  spoke  of  a  phase  of  that  matter  which  has  always 
impressed  me  very  much,  namely,   the  importance  of  what  we 
call  ''trifles."     But  no  events,   however  small,  are  trifles  in  the 
sight  of  God.     Do  you  remember  the  auspicious  day  when  you 
went,  at  my  invitation,   to  church,  and  heard  from  the  lips  of 
the  Rev.  D.  M.  Lord,  the  words  :  'Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
Consider  your  ways'  ?      Well,   if  you  remember,  when  I  asked 
you  to  go  church,  you  at  first  declined,  and  I  went  out,  closing 
both  doors  behind  me,  and  then  of  a  sudden  impulse,  without 
one  serious  reflection,  I  went  back,   ^nd  said  to  you,   '  Charlie, 
come  along  !'  and  up  you   got,   and  went   with   me  to  church. 
Now  see  !    how   much  depended  on  that    comparatively  trivial 
circumstance  of  my  going  back  to  you  a  second  time.     Yet  how 
much  has  grown  out  of  it,  and  how  many  souls  have  been  born 
to  God  through  your  ministrations  for  so  many  years,  and  all 
turning  on  that  point  that  looked    so  small   and    inconsequen- 
tial.    Nothing  is  trifling  to  God.      Out  of  the  merest  incident, 
God  is  able  to  bring,  and  often  does  bring  forth  stupendous  re- 


4.6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

suits.     This  is  and  always  has  been  an  impressive  lesson  to  me. 
I  have  often  made  use  of  it  in  my  preaching. " 

I  do  remember  that  I  consented  rather  reluctantly, 
adding,  "  I  might  as  well  go  there  as  anywhere  else,  to 
pass  the  time  away  until  noon." 

So  far,  however,  from  simply  passing  the  time  away, 
the  good  Lord  that  day,  taught  me  that  the  true 
value  of  time  is  to  prepare  for  eternity.  The  text 
was  from  the  prophecy  of  Haggai,  i.  5  :  *'  Now 
therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  Consider 
your  ways."  I  heeded  the  sermon  but  little,  until  the 
speaker  addressed  sailors  in  particular.  Then  my 
eyes  and  ears  and  mouth  were  opened  at  once,  as  if 
the  message  was  for  me.  So  graphically  was  the  peril- 
ous condition  of  the  sinner  described,  and  the  danger  of 
his  ways,  that  the  truth  pierced  my  heart.  The  arrows 
of  the  Almighty  drank  up  my  spirit.  Wounds  were 
made  that  day  for  which  I  found  no  healing  balm  until 
Jesus  brought  comfort  to  my  soul  by  his  peace-speaking 
blood.  When  I  felt  the  pains  of  hell  get  hold  of  me,  I 
listened  attentively  for  the  remedy,  and  heard  that  the 
only  way  of  peace  was  to  give  my  heart  and  soul  to 
Christ  without  reserve  and  without  delay.  I  thought 
this  was  not  necessary,  and  went  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening  again,  hoping  to  find  some  way  in  which 
I  might  be  saved  without  so  wholesale  a  concession. 
Why  could  I  not  serve  God  and  be  good  without  so 
absolute  a  surrender  of  the  world  ?  To  give  up  all  plea- 
sure, I  thought  too  great  a  sacrifice.  My  shipmates 
would  laugh  at  the  idea.  I  should  be  isolated,  cut  off 
from  their  companionship.     All    these    objections  were 


AWAKENING.  47 

set  before  me  in  their  liveliest  colors  by  the  enemy  of 
my  soul. 

In  the  evening,  at  the  monthly  concert  of  prayer,  tlie 
pastor  read  letters  from  pious  seamen  who  had  been  con- 
verted under  his  preaching.  They  affected  me  very 
much.  I  longed  to  feel  as  the  writers  expressed  them- 
selves as  feeling.  New  sensations  crowded  in  upon  me. 
I  was  filled  with  a  sense  of  my  own  absolute  nothing- 
ness ;  I  saw  myself  a  lost  soul,  ruined,  guilty,  depraved. 
I  had  no  words  to  describe  my  wickedness.  I  felt  that 
there  could  be  nothing  for  a  rebel  like  me  but  the  black- 
ness of  darkness  forever.  If  anything  was  wanting  to 
convince  me  of  the  long-suffering  and  forbearing  mercy 
of  the  Lord  toward  m.y  guilty  soul,  it  was  provided  in 
the  scene  which  followed  the  reading  of  the  letters.  I 
saw  with  surprise  several  well-dressed  and  respectable 
seamen  rise,  in  different  parts  of  the  house,  and  declare 
their  allegiance  to  the  King  of  kings,  and  claim  him  as 
the  Lord  their  righteousness.  They  told  of  the  deliver- 
ance from  hell  aTid  the  grave  through  the  merits  of  Jesus 
Christ  their  Redeemer.  They  spoke  of  joy  arising  from 
a  sense  of  pardoned  sin,  and  peace  experienced  under 
the  sheltering  wings  of  the  Almighty. 

Here  new  wonders  burst  upon  my  soul.  I  shrunk 
from  myself.  I  wanted  to  look  up,  but  I  dared  not.  A 
mountain  of  sin  crushed  me  down.  A  sailor  pious  ? 
It  could  not  be.  How  could  he  live  in  the  forecastle  but 
as  the  result  of  a  perpetual  miracle  ?  I  loathed  myself 
The  terrors  of  the  violated  law  appalled  me.  I  saw  my- 
self guilty,  condemned,  hell-deserving,  and  acknowledged 
the  sentence  that  condemned  mej'ust. 

As  soon  as  the  services  were  over,  I  returned  to  the 


48  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

Home  and  crept  to  my  bed,  almost  in  despair.  I 
wanted  to  pray  before  retiring,  but  the  fear  of  man  prov- 
ed a  snare,  and  prevented  me.  Willingly  would  I  have 
quieted  my  soul  with  promises  for  the  future,  but  con- 
science reminded  me  of  too  many  unfulfilled  promises,  too 
many  vain  resolutions,  too  many  futile  efforts,  too  many 
broken  vows  already  ;  and  that  promises  for  the  future 
could  not  condone  the  past.  I  would  have  slept,  but  I 
could  not.  I  tried  to  banish  all  thought  of  the  past  and 
future,  but  my  convictions  of  sin  set  all  peace  and  rest  at 
defiance.  In  the  darkness  of  that  sleepless  night,  while 
suffering  untold  agonies  of  guilt,  while  the  mountains  of 
my  sins  towered  upward  to  heaven,  and  hid  God's  face 
from  me,  the  tempter  came  to  goad  my  already  burden- 
ed conscience  by  suggesting '' You  are  too  late  now." 
O,  how  often  before  he  had  told  me  it  was  too  soon  to 
think  of  these  things  !  Now  he  tells  me,  "  You  are  too 
late  ;  you  have  sinned  away  your  day  of  grace,  to  pray 
is  useless.  You  cannot  be  forgiven."  All  this  I  was  only 
too  well  inclined  to  beheve.  I  called  to  mind  the  prof- 
fered mercies  neglected,  the  invitations  of  grace  rejected, 
the  prayer-meeting  given  up  that  I  might  enjoy  the 
theatre  :  and  I  felt  that  all  these  things  were  against  me. 
Yet*  notwithstanding  all,  I  desired  to  serve  God  v/ith 
all  my  heart,  and  I  resolved  to  begin  life  with  the  new 
day. 

I  requested  a  friend  to  call  me  early  in  the  morning, 
that  I  might  be  present  at  the  family  worship.  He 
called  me  before  daylight.  I  went  down  at  once  to 
the  reading-room,  and  as  I  entered,  noticed  an  open 
Bible  upon  the  table  and  a  lighted  candle  standing  beside 
it.      My  first  thought,  as   my  eye  fell   on  the  open  page, 


AWAKENING.  49 

was,  "  Perhaps  some  passage  in  that  good  book  may  bring 
peace  to  my  soul."  I  walked  up  to  it,  and  read  these 
words:  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  It  is 
hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks."  I  burst  into 
tears  and  felt  truly  it  is  hard.  I  turned  to  my  friend, who 
had  called  me,  and  said,  "  I  am  in  a  fearful  condition,  and 
unless  the  same  power  that  converted  Saul,  shall  have 
mercy  upon  me,  I  am  lost  forever."  Retried  to  comfort 
me  by  pointing  to  the  *'  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world."  But  my  will  was  not  yet  fully 
subdued.  The  wound  was  not  so  deep,  nor  my  case  so 
desperate  as  to  lead   me  to  the  great  Physician. 

I  attended  worship,  and  v.diile  Mr.  Buffum  was  praying, 
I  gave  way  to  convulsive  weeping.  Fearing  the  men 
would  notice  me,  and  being  ashamed  of  my  weakness,  I 
swallowed  my  breakfast  and  rushed  out  of  the  house, 
hoping  that  other  scenes  would  bring  some  change  of 
feeling,  alleviate  my  pains,  and  quench  the  fires  that  were 
burning  in  my  spirit.  Just  as  well  might  I  have  striven 
to  fly  from  myself  and  seek  annihilation,  as  to  fly  from 
either  the  spirit  or  presence  of  God.  After  leaving  the 
house  I  steered  for  the  wharves  and  strolled  about  among 
the  shipping,  without  any  fixed  purpose.  I  had  not  gone 
far  when  a  hand  was  laid  upon  my  shoulder.  I  turned 
to  see  who  addressed  me,  and  found  it  was  one  of  the 
boarders  of  the  Home.  He  said,  ''  Charhe,  what  do  you 
say  for  New  Orleans  ?"  I  responded,  *'  Anywhere,  to 
get  out  of  this."  "Well,"  said  he,  "  come  along.  The 
*  Birmingham,'  a  Bath  ship,  wants  eight  hands  before  the 
mast.  Let  us  ship."  I  agreed — shipped,  and  went  back 
to  the  Home  for  my  dunnage. 

On  my  wa\^  back  I  began  to  reflect  on  what  I  had  done, 


50  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

and  to  think  of  my  poor  dear  mother.  To  me  she  repre- 
sented "  all  hands  "  in  the  family  fleet.  Mother  meant 
home,  and  all  it  contained.  I  had  been  away  three 
years,  and  had  seldom  written.  Home  claims  now  pre- 
sented themselves  for  recognition.  So  I  sat  down  and 
wrote  a  long  letter,  in  which  I  remember  acknowledging 
that  **  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard."  I  had 
a  strong  presentiment  that  I  should  be  lost  in  that  vessel. 
Yet  I  had  no  idea  of  leaving  her,  for  I  felt  that  I  richly 
deserved  all  that  the  Lord  could  inflict.  I  resolved  there- 
fore that  my  mother  should  know  what  had  become  of  me. 
While  writing,  my  mind  was  racked  with  fears  of  death 
and  judgment.  I  went  into  the  office  of  the  landlord 
and  gave  him  the  address  of  my  mother,  requesting  him 
to  inquire  for  my  effects  when  the  vessel  reached  New 
Orleans,  and  send  them  with  my  wages  to  her.  So 
strongly  was  I  convinced  that  the  Lord  would  not  spare 
me  any  longer. 

He  promised  to  comply  with  my  request  if  I  should 
not  arrive  with  the  ship.  After  eyeing  me  for  a  moment 
with  apparent  concern,  he  rose  and  left  the  office,  beck- 
oning me  to  follow  him  to  mother  room.  With  mingled 
fear  and  shame,  I  accompanied  him.  I  was  afraid  he 
had  noticed  my  emotion,  and  I  was  ashamed  of  my 
own  weakness  ;  but  I  might  well  have  laid  both  aside. 
He  spoke  to  me  very  kindly,  and  asked  me  if  I  was  not 
concerned  for  the  salvation  of  my  soul  ?  I  told  him  I  was, 
and  I  Hstened  while  he  described  the  misery  of  a  soul  cut 
off" from  Christ.  I  wept  bitterly.  I  thought  my  very  heart 
would  break  with  grief  when  I  saw  myself  in  the  con- 
dition of  an  unbeliever.  I  do  not  remember  that  I 
ever  wept  so  convulsively  before.      I  was  a   great  sinner 


AWAKENING.  5 1 

in  the  presence  of  the  angry  Judge.  The  sword  of  justice 
seemed  suspended  over  my  head  by  a  single  hair.  I  was 
lost  !  lost  !  forever  !  The  thunders  of  Sinai  seemed 
ready  to  burst  on  my  dev^oted  head.  I  believed  and 
trembled. 

But  my  friend  was  ready  to  apply  a  healing  balm  to 
my  wounded  spirit,  and  to  point  me  to  the  Great 
Physician,  who  alone  could  relieve  my  distress.  He  told 
me  of  the  forgivhig  love  of  Jesus,  of  his  unwillingness 
that  any  should  perish  ;  of  his  desire  that  all  might  par- 
take of  eternal  life,  and  of  the  sacrifice  he  had  made  to 
secure  the  desired  end.  These  truths,  beautiful  and 
comforting  as  they  are,  threw  but  a  momentary  gleam 
over  my  dark  soul.  He  is  a  great  Saviour,  but  can  He 
save  me  ?  I  had  sinned  against  light  and  knowledge. 
I  was  not  ignorant,  as  many  were.  I  knew  the  right,  and 
had  pursued  the  wrong  all  my  life.  Could  He,  would 
He  save  me  ?  O,  the  agony  of  that  moment !  That 
gleam  of  light  revealed  me  to  myself  as  I  had  never  seen 
myself  before.  It  made  the  darkness  of  my  life  visible. 
It  exposed  my  hidden  corruptions.  I  shrank  from 
myself — how  much  more  would  a  holy  God  shrink  from 
me !  I  did  not  yet  see  any  efficacy  in  the  blood  of 
Christ  to  wash  out  my  stains.  How  could  he  forgive 
so  vile  a  creature — a  fit  object  for  divine  wrath  !  I 
had  slighted  the  sure  mercies  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  and 
was  now  even  only  grasping  for  tliat  which  was  forever 
beyond  m}^  reach.  I  had  sinned  against  his  most  holy 
law  for  twenty-three  years.  Would  he  now  condescend 
to  return  and  love  me  freely  ?  Was  his  anger  indeed 
turned  away  ?     Yes  ! 

]\Iy  friend  told  mo  "The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleans- 


52  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

eth  from  all  sin."  Said  he,  "  I  sinned  against  God  for 
thirty  years  and  he  forgave  me.  He  is  willing  and  ready 
to  forgive  you  now."  He  told  me,  moreover,  how  he 
had  carried  Christ  in  the  ship,  and  was  enabled  by  his 
presence  to  endure  the  jeers  and  scoffs  of  ungodly  ship- 
mates. His  experiences  inspired  me  with  courage.  A 
ray  of  hope  at  last  dawned  upon  my  soul.  Perhaps  he 
will  accept  my  plea,  perhaps  will  hear  my  prayer  !  O, 
how  I  would  delight  to  serve  such  a  Master,  if  he  would 
only  accept  my  poor  services  !  If  only  I  might  sit  at 
his  feet ! 

Observing  some  indications  of  the  change  which 
was  passing  over  my  mind,  my  faithful  friend  urged 
upon  me  the  necessity  of  making  Christ  my  confidant, 
and  telling  him  all  my  sorrows  and  sins.  He  exhorted 
me  to  seek  counsel  of  him  at  all  times,  to  open  to  him  the 
secrets  of  my  very  soul,  to  seek  wisdom  from  him  in  all 
things,  whether  temporal  or  eternal,  to  study  the  Scrip- 
tures, to  drink  from  the  sacred  fount  itself :  assuring  me 
that  He,  my  Lord,  would  never  leave  me,  nor  for- 
sake me.  Before  that  conference  broke  up,  I  had 
secretly  resolved  to  seek  the  Lord,  and  to  strive  to  serve 
Him  with  all  my  heart.  Had  He  not  given  Himself  for 
me  ?     Could  I  do  less  than  give  myself  to  him  ? 

Instead  of  sailing,  as  we  expected,  on  the  afternoon  of 
Monday,  the  *' Birmingham,"  was  delayed  until  the 
next  day.  As  I  was  leaving  the  house  on  Tuesday 
morning  to  go  on  board  my  ship,  I  felt  very  sad,  be- 
cause I  was  now  turning  my  back  on  Christian  privileges 
and  going  forward  into  untried  paths.  I  was  resolved 
to  live  for  Go  J,  com^  what  would;  and  therefore  ac- 
cepted with  gratitude  some  books  given  me  by  my  good 


AWAKENING.  53 

brother  Buffum.  The  Pilgrim's  Progress  I  had  a  desire 
to  read,  and  this  he  gave  me,  with  a  small  volume  called 
*'The  Christian's  Daily  Food."  This  last  he  begged  me 
to  read  whenever  I  found  an  opportunity.  '*  But  above 
all,"  said  he,  ''  seek  Christ,  the  sinner's  friend  —  and 
take  my  advice,  hoist  your  colors  as  soon  as  you  go  on 
board,  and  let  your  shipmates  knovV  that  you  intend  to 
fight  under  his  banner."  He  added,  "  Keep  this  Httle 
book  in  your  bosom.  You  will  find  in  it  passages  of 
scripture.  When  you  have  a  spare  moment,  read  some 
of  them ;  they  will  help  to  keep  your  thoughts  on  God, 
and  at  the  same  time  banish  ev^il  from  your  mind." 

A  few  moments  after  receiving  this  counsel,  I  left  the 
house  to  go  on  board,  with  a  bundle  of  clothing  under 
my  arm,  and  a  pair  of  sea-boots  in  my  hand.  But, 
when  only  a  few  yards  from  the  door,  I  dropped  my 
bundle  and  boots  and  ran  back  to  ask  the  friends  I  was 
leaving,  to  pray  for  me  when  they  met  at  evening  pray- 
er-meetings, that  I  might  prove  faithful  to  my  new  Mas- 
ter, that  I  might  be  a  bright  and  shining  light  to  my  ship- 
mates, and  be  finally  saved  through  Christ  my  Redeem- 
er. I  felt  I  was  leaving  my  home.  Had  it  not  been  a 
sailor's  home  indeed  to  my  soul  ?  Was  it  not  my  birth 
place  unto  righteousness  ?  I  went  away  encouraged  by 
the  promises  of  a  good  brother  to  hold  me  up  in  their 
prayers.  In  about  twenty  minutes  I  was  on  board  my 
ship  and  ready  for  duty.  The  crew  were  ordered  to  get 
breakfast,  and  I  went  below  with  them,  thinkmg  it  Vv^as 
better  to  begin  my  Master's  work  at  once,  and  let  them 
know  I  was  on  the  Lord's  side,  instead  of  leaving  it  un- 
til the  ship  was  out  at  sea. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CONVERSION    AND    COLLEGE    LIFE. 

The  Bible  in  the  forecastle — My  ensign  a-peak — My  eyes  opened — Con- 
secration to  Christ — Man  overboard — Prayer  at  the  topmast-head — 
Trials  and  conflicts — Missionary  effort — In  the  army  of  the  Lord — 
Schooner  "  Roanoke  " — Ship  to  pray — Santa  Cruz — Christian  sailors  a 
curiosity — First  idea  of  the  ministry — The  way  open — Joy  unspeakable 
— Schooner's  crew — Rum  jug — New  experience — Wicked  resolutions — 
Fatal  result — Sole  survivor — Brig  "  Delight  '' — Happy  change — Under 
care  of  Presbytery — Student  life — College  prayer-meetmgs. 

As  soon  as  I  had  shifted  my  dunnage  and  put  my 
bunk  in  order,  I  took  from  my  cliest  my  long-neglected 
and  long-buried  Bible,  determined  that  it  should  be 
no  more  an  unread  book.  I  sat  on  my  chest  and  began 
at  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  reading  to  myself,  but  by 
no  means  unnoticed.  I  need  not  say  here  that  I  was 
laughed  at  for  so  singular  an  act.  The  very  fact  of  my 
possessing  a  Bible  was  sufficient  to  bring  upon  me  the 
contempt  of  the  silly  and  godless  ones  ;  but  to  dare  to 
read  it  in  the  presence  of  such  men,  and  in  the  forecas- 
tle, too  !  was  to  expose  myself  to  their  derision.  But, 
blessed  be  God  !  the  day  in  which  a  blaspheming  ship- 
mate could  drive  me  from  the  word  o{  God,  had  already 
passed  away.  I  felt  that  their  opposition  would  not 
hurt  me,  while  the  living  God  was  my  friend.     I  was 

54 


CONVERSION.  55 

now  identified  fully  with  his  cause  and  knew  what  I  was 
to  expect 

I  asked  divine  help  in  that  crisis,  for  it  was  a  crisis  in 
my  life,  on  which  depended  my  all  for  time  and  eternity. 
If  I  should  be  driven  from  my  ground  now,  I  need 
never  expect  to  recover  it  again  in  that  ship.  I  did  not 
wait  long  for  the  first  broadside  from  the  enemy.  But 
my  own  guns  were  now  run  out,  and  trained,  and  my 
Great  Captain  was  by  to  give  courage  and  precision. 

I  will  state  here,  for  the  better  understanding  of  tlie 
position,  that,  with  the  exception  of  one  man  (he  who 
had  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  proposed  my  ship- 
ping with  him),  the  entire  crew  were  strangers  to  me. 
We  therefore  knew  nothing  of  the  weight  or  range  of 
each  other's  metal.  The  first  acts  on  both  sides  were 
necessarily  tentative.  The  first  fire  was  evidently  in- 
tended to  draw  mine.  It  was  well  aimed,  but  fell  a  little 
short  of  its  purpose.  I  heard  the  whistle  of  the  shot  across 
my  bows,  and  it  said,  "  Helloa  :  are  you  religious  ?" 
The  accent  on  the  last  word  was  such  as  to  show  that 
the  question  was  not  altogether  friendly.  It  conveyed  a 
slight  tone  of  bitterness,  but  it  brought  my  ensign  to  the 
peak.  I  replied  with  blank  cartridge,  having  only  the 
kindness  and  pity  of  the  Master  in  my  heart,  and  desir- 
ous of  avoiding  pain.  "  No,"  said  I,  ''  I  am  not  relig- 
ious, but — (without  a  pause) — by  the  grace  of  God  I 
mean  to  be  a  Christian.  I  have  served  the  devil  for 
twenty- three  years,  and  found  him  a  hard  master.  I 
fought  '  long  and  well '  for  him,  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  a 
better  cause.  Now  I  mean  to  serve  God,  if  he  will  be 
my  helper,"  My  shipmates  smiled  derisively,  as  though 
in  doubt  as  to  my  stability  or  strength  of  purpose,  and 


56  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

said,   "  O,  that  is  all  right  if  you  can  stick  to  it."     I  re- 
plied,  *'  God  helping  me,  here's  stick  to  it  !'" 

Shortly  after  this  conversation  we  were  all  engaged  in 
clearing  up  the  decks  and  getting  ready  for  sea.  I  had 
coiled  up  the  running  gear  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  was 
for  a  moment  unoccupied.  I  thought  of  my  little  book, 
**  Daily  Food,"  and  took  it  out  of  my  shirt  bosom  to 
read  a  passage.  On  finding  the  pages  marked  with  the 
days  of  the  month,  I  turned  back  to  see  what  portion 
was  selected  for  that  day,  the  19th  of  January,  and 
found  these  words  :  surely  they  were  written  for  me  : 
"  If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father, 
Jesus  Christ  the  righteous.  And  he  is  the  propitiation  for 
our  sins ;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of 
the  whole  world"  (i  John  ii.  I,  2).  Beneath  the  scripture 
were  these  lines : 

"  He  ever  lives  to  intercede 

Before  his  Father's  face  ; 

Give  him,  my  soul,  thy  cause  to  plead, 

Nor  doubt  a  Father's  grace. " 

Here  my  eyes  were  opened.  A  mystery  was  explained. 
I  had  been  doubting  a  Father's  grace,  and  had  been  plead- 
ing my  own  cause,  instead  of  putting  my  soul  fully  into 
the  hands  of  the  great  Advocate.  I  saw  myself  guilty 
of  two  evils,  and  resolved  to  avoid  them  hereafter.  I 
went  immediately  forward.  The  time  for  the  one  con- 
secrating act  of  my  life  was  now  come.  Passing  down 
into  the  between  decks  I  crawled  in  among  some  bales 
of  cargo,  knelt  down  on  the  deck,  leaning  my  bead 
against  one  of  the  stanchions  just  abaft  the  forecastle 
bulkhead,  and  gave  myself  to  Jesus;  saying,  ''O  Lord 
Jesus,  I  am  a  great  sinner;  and  if  I  must  perish,  as  I  de- 


CONSECRATION.  57 

serve   to   perish,    let  me   perish  where  no  man  ever  did 
perish,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  pleading  for  mercy." 

At  the  close  of  this  prayer  there  came  over  me  a  sweet 
feeling  of  confidence.  I  had  no  great  joy,  but  a  feeling 
of  relief  from  past  anxieties,  somewhat  as  a  captain  who 
has  been  on  a  dangerous  coast  and  without  sleep  for  two 
or  three  nights,  resigns  his  vessel  into  the  hands  of  the 
pilot,  and  goes  below,  with  a  sense  of  security  not  felt 
before.  I  arose  from  my  knees  and  resumed  my  duty 
with  more  hopefulness  than  ever  I  had  felt  before.  I 
could  now  realize  the  meaning  of  the  words  of  the  hymn, 

"  'Tis  done — the  great  transaction  's  done  ; 
I  am  the  Lord's  and  he  is  mine." 

There    was    a    sweet    comfort    in    the  assurance.     I 
breathed   more    freely,     believing   now   fully,   that   God 
would,  for  Christ's  sake,  have  mercy  on   my  sin-polluted 
and  heavily  burdened  soul.     Now  that  the  great  God  had 
smiled  upon  me,  I  determined  to  serve  him   with  all   the 
energies   of  my  soul,  or  perish  in  trying.      I   embraced 
every  opportunity  I  could  get,    without   neglecting   my 
duty,  to  go  to  my  Bethel  and  pour  out  my  soul  to   God 
for  his  guidance  and  support.     We  left  the   wharf  about 
eleven,  A.  M.,  and  with  a  strong   north-wester,  by  night 
we  were  well    clear    of   the  land.     The    watches    were 
chosen  and  set.     I  fell  to  the  chief  mate.     While  walk- 
ing the  deck  with  my  watchmates,  I  found  their  conver- 
sation was  such  as  I    could  now  take    no    part    in.      I 
broached  the  subject  of  religion,  and  was  told  for  my  en- 
couragement that  I  should   surely   become  a  hypocrite. 
While  I  could  not  accept  their  conclusions,  I  nevertheless 
had  some  fears  lest  there  might  be  truth  in  their  pre- 


58  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

dictions.  I  knew  there  was  but  one  who  could  save  me 
from  such  a  result,  and  I  clung  to  Him  with  increasing 
fervor. 

Two  days  after  leaving  port,  we  lost  a  man  overboard. 
I  went  aloft  to  try  to  keep  him  in  view  if  possible,  while 
the  boat  was  pulling  after  him.  But  he  was  not  to  be 
seen ;  and  my  eyes  were  so  blinded  with  tears  that  I 
could  scarce  see  at  all.  I  then  and  there,  at  the  mizzcn- 
topmast  head,  cried  aloud  unto  God,  fearing  that  I  might 
be  the  next,  and  praying  that  if  he  should  please  to  take 
me  in  that  way,  he  would  prepare  me  for  a  dwelling  at 
his  right  hand.  I  now  made  away  with  all  cards,  dice, 
novels,  song- books,  dream- books,  and  intoxicating 
drinks,  and  prayed  that  the  temptations  to  either  of  them 
might  be  kept  from  me.  My  soul  yearned  for  the  souls 
of  my  shipmates,  and  I  turned  my  attention  to  their 
instruction  in  divine  things.  I  longed  for  their  conver- 
sion ;   I  plead  with  them,  and  they  persecuted  me. 

One  of  the  crew  only  paid  any  attention.  He  promised 
to  abandon  his  sins,  b.nd  live  for  the  Saviour.  We  were 
to  travel  together  heavenward.  We  prayed  together. 
But  scarcely  had  we  turned  our  backs  on  the  "  City  of 
Destruction,"  when  he  fell  into  the  "  Slough  of  Despond," 
and  in  his  eagerness  to  return,  came  very  near  ruining  me. 
But  by  the  grace  of  God  I  pushed  on  alone.  I  warned 
him  of  his  backsliding,  and  he  declared  that  he  had  com- ' 
mitted  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  therefore  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  be  saved.  I  continued,  however, 
to  do  what  I  could  in  my  weakness.  I  gathered  my 
shipmates  on  the  Sabbath,  in  the  forecastle,  and  read  to 
them  tracts  and  good  books.  Some  of  them  listened 
attentively  and  reverently,  and  some  cursed  me  for  read- 


CONVERSION.  59 

ing  what  they  called  "  Christ-kilHng  tracts,"  expressing 
the  fear  that  the  ship  would  be  carried  to^ieaven  in 
a  hurry.  The  good  ship,  however,  sped  on  her  course, 
keeping  to  her  watery  way  notwithstanding,  while  each 
day  brought  new  cursings  and  slanderings  on  account  of 
my  religion.  When  reading  my  Bible,  some  would  come 
and  sit  beside  m.e  and  sincf  ribald  soncj-s,  or  relate  some 
obscene  story,  to  draw  me  away  from  the  Word  of  God. 

In  order  to  study  the  Word  in  peace,  1  resorted  to  an 
original  mode  of  keeping  the  precious  truth  before  me, 
while  they  were  off  their  guard.  I  wrote  with  the  point 
of  my  knife,  passages  of  Scripture  from  the  Psalms,  all 
over  my  tin  pot,  and  plate,  and  spoon,  and  so  was 
enabled  to  feed  body  and  soul  at  the  same  time.  W^e 
were  forty-four  days  on  the  passage,  and  before  reaching 
New  Orleans  I  had  several  severe  trials  and  conflicts  to 
pass  through ;  but  by  the  covenant  love  of  my  Saviour, 
I  was  brought  out  of  them  all,  m.ore  than  conqueror, 
through  ''Him  that  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me." 
My  firmness  in  the  right,  and  my  steady  devotion  to  my 
duty,  gained  for  mQ  the  friendship  of  the  entire  crew  and 
officers  ;  so  that  when  the  vessel  was  discharged  and  I 
was  about  to  leave  her,  they  all  expressed  their  reluct- 
ance in  parting  with  me,  and  even  those  who  had  been 
most  inimical  to  my  Christian  efforts,  bade  me  God 
speed. 

In  New  Orleans  I  found  many  of  the  dear  people  of 
God,  who  proffered  the  hand  of  Christian  fellowship,  and 
who  gave  me  such  assistance  on  my  heavenly  way,  as  I  at 
that  time  so  much  needed.  After  leaving  the  ship  I  took  up 
my  abode  at  the  Sailors'  Home.  In  my  intercourse  with 
the  people  of  God  here,  I  gained  strength,  and  had  new 


6o  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

experiences  of  the  value  and  preciousness  of  my  new 
treasure.  Here  I  was  encouraged  to  take  part  in  the 
pubHc  services  of  rehgion,  and  to  open  my  mouth  for  the 
Lord.  Here  too,  I  met  with  some  who  have  been 
fast  friends  and  faithful  brethren  in  the  Lord  ever  since. 
I  found  here,  also,  many  opportunities  of  doing  good,  going 
from  ship  to  ship,  with  tracts,  and  speaking  with  men 
I  met  in  tlie  streets  and  on  the  levee.  I  have  reason  to 
know  that  some  of  the  precious  seed  here  sown  brought 
forth  plentifully  after  many  years.  My  initial  experience 
in  this  city  and  some  of  the  lessons  I  here  learned,  have 
not  been  v/ithout  their  salutary  effect  on  my  after  life.  I 
became  acquainted  here  with  two  pious  seamen,  with 
whom,  after  rolling  cotton  on  the  levee  for  a  time,  I  ship- 
ped in  the  ship  **  Cumberland,"  of  Boston,  bound  to  Phila- 
delphia. We  had  been  on  board  but  a  (qw  days  before 
the  Lord  brought  one  of  our  shipmates  to  himself  in  pen- 
itence and  faith.  He  afterwards^  with  myself,  became 
a  part  of  the  schooner's  crew,  mentioned  elsewhere. 

On  board  of  this  vessel  we  held  meetings  regularly  in 
the  house  on  deck,  every  morning  and  evening,  and 
prayer- meetings  on  Thursday  and  Sabbath  evenings,  at 
which  officers  and  passengers  attended,  as  well  as 
the  crew.  As  a  result  of  these  services  the  second  mate 
was  converted,  and  has  been  up  to  this  day  a  devoted 
Christian,  and  a  useful  man  in  the  M.  E.  Church. 

On  the  1 6th  of  May  w^e  reached  Philadelphia,  where 
we  were  received  with  open  arms  and  full  hearts  by  the 
Rev.  Orson  Douglass  and  his  church  members.  On  the 
23d  of  May,  three  of  my  shipmates  and  myself  entered 
into  a  covenant  with  the  Lord  by  uniting  with  the 
"Eastburn  Mariners'  Church."     Here  I  assumed  for  my- 


CONVERSION.  6 1 

self  the  vows  made  for  me  by  my  parents  at  my  baptism, 
viz.,  *'  to  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  the  pomps 
and  vanities  of  this  wicked  world."  Here  too  I  sat  down 
for  the  first  time,  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  It  was  a  sea- 
son of  great  joy  to  my  soul.  '*  He  brought  me  to  the  ban- 
queting house,  and  his  banner  over  me  was  love."  ''  1  sat 
down  under  his  shadow  with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit  was 
sweet  to  my  taste."  I  was  now  enrolled  in  the  army  of  the 
Lord,  henceforth  to  be  recognized  openly  as  one  of  his  de- 
voted servants  and  followers.  A  blessed  work  was  inau- 
gurated here  by  our  pastor.  Rev.  O.  Douglass ;  a  work  in 
which  we  all  took  part,  namely,  open-air  preaching,  and 
addresses  from  ships,  at  the  wharves.  Large  numbers 
of  people  heard  the  Word,  and  not  a  few  were  converted 
and  saved.  I  also  addressed  the  seamen  of  the  Navy  in 
the  U.  S.  Receiving  Ship,  by  invitation.  Some  of  these 
men  were  anxious  about  their  souls'  salvation.  Our  pas- 
tor set  us  all  at  work,  and  as  the  interest  spread  we  were 
invited  to  visit  the  churches  of  the  city,  and  speak  in 
behalf  of  the  moral  interests  of  our  brethren  of  the  sea. 
By  these  means  an  impetus  was  given  to  the  seamen's 
cause  in  Philadelphia,  which  is  operative  to  this  day. 

On  the  2nd  of  June,  I  shipped,  together  with  four 
others  of  the  Cumberland's  crew,  on  board  the  schooner 
"  Roanoke,"  bound  for  Santa  Cruz.  The  peculiar  fea- 
ture of  this  transaction  was  that  we  shipped  to  pray. 
Two  of  the  men  before  the  mast  and  myself  were 
church-members.  The  other  two  agreed  with  us  to 
meet  daily,  morning  and  evening,  to  ask  God's  blessing 
upon  our  vessel  and  crew.  On  that  voyage  there  was 
neither  cursing  nor  rum-drinking  in  the  forecastle.  I 
cannot  say  as  much  for  the  other  end  of  her.     The  cap- 


62  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG    SAILORS. 

tain  and  mate  would  occasionally  give  way  to  a  burst  of 
profanity.  The  captain  having  one  day  ripped  out  an 
oath,  turned  to  the  Christian  sailor  at  the  wheel,  and 
apologizing  for  having  offended  his  ears  with  blasphemy, 
said,  ''John,  I  have  been  enabled  to  knock  off  swearing 
some  since  you  men  came  on  board,  and  I  hope  to  be 
entirely  cured  of  it  before  you  leave  me."  As  soon  as  we 
came  to  an  anchor  in  Santa  Cruz,  I  sought  out  the  church 
and  found  many  of  the  friends  of  Christ,  who,  on  learn- 
ing that  there  were  other  Christian  seamen  on  board, 
requested  me  to  bring  my  shipmates  ashore.  I  saw 
then  that  the  Christian  sailor  was  sought  rather  than 
shunned,  and  1  longed  for  the  day  when  the  sons  of  the 
sea  shall  be  known  in  all  lands  as  the  sons  of  God. 

One  of  the  planters,  a  Mr.  Stevenson,  sent  his  carriage 
to  bring  us  to  his  house,  and  invited  us  to  address  his 
slaves.  He  had  converted  his  still-house  into  a  school- 
room, banished  rum  from  the  premises,  and  had  given 
his  hundred  servants  Saturday  to  themselves,  in  order 
to  dispose  of  their  produce,  so  that  they  might  keep  the 
Sabbath  sacred  to  God.  On  reaching  the  plantation, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  we  found  in  the  planter 
and  his  wife  two  devoted  Christians.  After  taking  tea 
with  them,  we  were  led  into  a  school- room,  where  the 
servants  were  gathered  in  a  Bible  class.  By  the  answers 
they  gave  to  questions  proposed  to  them,  they  gave  evi- 
dence of  an  acquaintance  with  the  scripture  that  was  cre- 
ditable to  themselves  as  well  as  to  their  master.  We 
each  addressed  them,  and  exhorted  them  to  live  for 
Christ  and  try  to  meet  us  in  heaven.  They  were  much 
affected  by  our  visit. 

It  was  while  we  were  lying  at  Santa  Cruz  that  I  was 


CONVERSION.  63 

first  led  to  think  of  becoming  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
I  was  enjoying  a  season  of  private  devotion,  when  the 
suggestion  first  entered  my  mind  ;  but  I  was  afraid  to 
entertain  it  even  for  a  moment,  lest  it  should  have  sprung 
from  pride  or  self-esteem.  But  whatever  might  hereaf- 
ter appear  to  be  duty,  it  seem.ed  evident  that  I  could 
not  indulge  the  hope,  because  I  was  without  the  neces- 
sary means.  Having  squandered  my  money  in  riotous 
living,  how  could  I  expect  to  devote  myself  to  so  import- 
ant and  sacred  a  work  ?  Besides,  I  had  no  adequate  in- 
tellectual fitness;  in  short,  the  office  was  too  high  foi 
any  aspiration  of  mine.  Taking  this  view  of  the  situa- 
tion, I  prayed  the  Lord  that  if  the  thought  was  not  from 
him  he  would  strangle  it  in  its  birth  On  the  other  hand, 
if  he  had  suggested  it,  I  would  humbly  look  to  him  to 
provide  the  means.  At  all  events  I  resolved  that  I 
would  neither  seek  it  nor  shun  it  ;  but  that  I  would  offer 
special  prayers  for  guidance  and  direction  in  the  matter. 
During  one  of  those  devotional  seasons,  while  pleading 
for  divine  aid,  I  was  wonderfully  overcome  with  a  sense 
of  the  abundant  mercy  of  God  to  me,  unworthy  as  I  was, 
and  had  such  a  realizing  sense  of  the  divine  presence 
fining  me,  and  absorbing  my  whole  soul,  that  on  rising 
from  my  knees  I  felt  assured  that  I  should  one  day  stand 
between  the  Uving  and  the  dead,  and  proclaim  the  glad 
news  of  salvation  to  a  lost  and  ruined  world,  through 
Jesus  Christ  the  Lord.  I  continued  in  special  prayer  for 
the  divine  guidance  all  the  passage  home  to  Philadelphia. 
Immediately  on  our  arrival,  and  before  the  vessel  had 
come  to  her  wharf,  I  went  ashore  with  the  captain,  ran 
up  to  the  Sailors'  Home  to  announce  our  arrival,  and 
thence  to  pay  my  respects  to  my  pastor  at  his  house.     I 


64  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

had  not  been  there  more  than  twenty  minutes  before 
sufficient  was  said  to  indicate  to  me  that  the  way  was 
prepared  for  me  to  enter  upon  a  course  of  study,  with  a 
view  to  the  holy  ministry.  Ahhough  I  had  not  opened 
my  mouth  to  a  soul  on  the  subject,  I  learned  afterwards, 
that  while  I  was  at  sea,  the  Holy  Spirit  had  suggested  to 
my  pastor  ashore  the  same  thoughts  that  had  occupied 
my  own  mind.  He  had  communicated  his  plans  to 
some  of  the  friends  of  seamen  in  the  city,  especially  to 
the  lady  managers  of  the  Female  Seamen's  Friend  Soci- 
ety, and  they  had  assured  him  that  they  would  contribute 
to  the  expense  of  my  education  if  I  should  enter  upon 
the  work. 

I  need  not  say  how  intensely  my  soul  was  filled  with 
thanksgiving  when  the  glad  news  was  communicated, 
nor  with  what  eagerness  I  anticipated  the  hitherto  un- 
expected privilege  of  consecrating  myself,  spirit,  soul  and 
body,  to  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry.  I  was  in  an  ecs- 
tacy  of  joy.  My  cup  was  running  over.  Now  then,  fare- 
well, a  long  fareweU  to  my  foster-mother — the  sea ! 
Many,  many  times  I  had  sat  on  the  windlass  end  in  my 
night  watches  at  sea,  and  sung 

*  *  Death,   whenever  he  comes  to  me, 
Must  come  on — must  come  on 
The  wide  and  open  sea." 

Now,  however,  all  my  unsanctified  purposes  v/ere 
overturned.  I  had  been  "bought  with  a  price."  My 
duty  and  my  pleasure  were  now  to  glorify  God  in  my 
body  and  in  my  spirit,  which  are  his.  Rapturous  thought ! 
What  language  can  adequately  express  it?  I — for 
years  a  poor  outcast,  a  mere  waif  on  life's  ocean,  drifting 


CHRISTIAN    SAILORS.  65 

with  the  current  of  worldHness,  driven  by  the  strong 
winds  of  passion,  a  drunken  blasphemer,  a  child  of  sin  ! 
Yet  now,  not  only  a  son  of  God,  a  joint  heir  with  Christ 
to  the  heavenly  inheritance  hereafter,  a  prince  of  the 
King  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  but,  marvel  of  marvels  ! 
on  my  way  to  an  appointment  to  the  exalted  office  of 
an  ambassador  for  Christ  !  His  representative,  to  be 
commissioned  to  persuade  men,  in  His  stead,  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  God.  My  wildest  imaginings  had  scarcely 
dared  to  soar  so  high.  Yet  already  was  the  goal  in 
sight ! 

As  I  have  spoken  so  fully  of  myself,  it  may  be  well, 
before  leaving  this  part  of  my  subject,  to  say  a  word  con- 
cerning the  future  of  my  shipmates,  who,  together  with 
myself,  composed  the  crew  of  the  schooner  "  Roa- 
noke." The  captain  and  mate  I  lost  the  run  of  after 
entering  upon  my  studies.  But  of  the  foremast  men,  I 
may  say,  one  of  the  unconverted  died  shortly  after  I  left 
her.  Of  the  two  professors  in  the  forecastle,  one  went 
to  Havre,  in  France,  and  while  there  engaged  as  sexton 
of  the  American  Chapel  for  seamen,  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  Rev.  E.  N.  SavvlelL  He  has  been  doing 
missionary  work  among  sailors  as  colporteur  and  tract 
distributor  for  something  over  thirty-five  years.  The 
other,  after  making  a  few  voyages  and  rising  to  the  po- 
sition of  chief  officer,  left  the  sea,  married,  and  was 
employed  as  city  missionary,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  of  Philadelphia.  He  after- 
wards became  keeper  of  the  Sailors'  Home  in  Front 
Street,  where  he  and  his  good  wife  did  much  faithful 
missionary  work  for  years.  Subsequently,  failing  in 
health,  he  purchased  a  farm,  and  moved  into  the  north- 
5 


66  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

eastern  extremity  of  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  cleared  a 
tract  of  woodland,  and  built  himself  a  home.  Look- 
ing round  for  avenues  of  usefulness,  he  organized  a 
Sabbath-school,  which  under  his  fostering  care,  grew  in- 
to a  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  became  an  elder. 
Through  his  faithful  labors,  a  large  portion  of  the  com- 
munity were  brought  under  the  influence  of  religion. 
After  some  years,  his  yearnings  for  the  sailor  brought 
him  once  more  to  the  seaboard.  In  New  York  he  took 
charge  of  the  Sailors'  Home,  became  a  member  of  the 
Mariners'  Church,  under  my  care,  and  did  efficient  work 
among  his  brethren  of  the  sea.  He  is,  at  this  writing, 
a  successful  manufacturer  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
contributes  with  a  true  sailor's  liberality  of  his  substance 
to  the  cause  of  Christian  benevolence.  The  fourth,  v/ho, 
when  I  left  the  "  Roanoke,"  was  yet  "  in  the  gall  of  bit- 
terness, and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity,"  found  his  way  into 
the  church  after  a  very  bitter  experience.  But  I  will 
let  him  tell  it  in  his  own  way.  In  a  letter  to  me,  dated 
January,  1858,  he  says: 

"  Dear  old  ship  !  Nearly  eighteen  years  have  glided  by  since 
you  and  I  were  sailors  before  the  mast  in  the  ship  ' '  Cumber- 
land," at  New  Orleans,  bound  for  Philadelphia.  I  well  remember 
the  day  when  I  went  on  board  that  ship,  and  how  I  introduced 
myself  by  opening  my  rum-jug,  and  asking  all  hands  to  drink. 
But  only  one  man  could  be  found,  to  help  me.  I  have  never 
forgotten  the  moral  courage  you  displayed  when  I  offered  it  to 
you,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew,  who  were  all  sober.  When  I 
began  to  swear,  and  give  expression  to  my  indignation,  you 
calmly  reproved  me.  I  was  angry  at  the  time,  but  the  lesson  I 
never  forgot.  At  that  time  I  did  not  believe  that  there  was  a  man 
going  to  sea,  who  did  not  drink  liquor  and  get  drunk  sometimes. 
As  for  religion,  I  did  not  know  anything  about  that  at  all.     I 


CHRISTIAN    SAILORS.  6/ 

never  heard  of  the  new  birth.  I  never  saw  a  Christian  sailor, 
never  was  inside  a  sailors'  home,  before  that  voyage.  But  I 
bless  God  to-day  that  I  ever  was  a  sailor.  Especially  do  I  thank 
God  that  I  ever  went  on  board  that  old  ship,  where  I  found  the 
first  religious  sailor  I  ever  saw.  Under  God,  I  owe  my  all  to 
the  man  I  am  now  writing  to,  and  from  whom  I  received  the  first 
admonition  and  invitation  to  come  to  Christ.  O,  my  brother, 
where  will  our  influence  end  }  We  have  to  do  with  the  men 
whose  home  is  on  the  deep  ;  who,  when  converted,  do  not 
become  a  terror  to  the  missionary  in  foreign  lands,  but  aid  him 
in  building  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  It  must  break  the  heart 
of  the  man  of  God,  who  has  labored  for  years  among  the  heathen, 
to  have  an  ungodly  ship's  company,  of  so-called  Christian  sailors, 
come  on  shore  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  by  their  drunken  orgies 
destroy  the  eifect  of  his  life  work  for  their  good.  If  on  the  other 
hand  the  seamen  are  converted,  we  shall  have  missionaries  indeed. 
"  But  to  return.  You  know  that  we  had  a  long  and  tedious 
passage  from  New  Orleans  to  Philadelphia,  and  that  through 
your  persuasion,  I  was  induced  to  ship  again  with  you,  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  same  crew,  for  the  West  Indies.  During  that  period 
of  two  months  I  was  the  most  miserable  of  men.  Three-fifths  of 
the  crew  were  religious.  Their  daily  service  made  me  truly  un- 
happy. I  wished,  a  thousand  times  the  voyage  at  an  end,  and  my- 
self clear  of  what  I  called  a  dead-and-alive  set  of  men,  though  they 
were  really  the  very  best  men  I  ever  sailed  with.  But  their  good 
example  was  a  standing  reproof  of  my  own  life.  That  experience 
proves  to  me  that  if  a  sinner  were  placed  in  heaven  with  his  sins 
unrepented  of  he  would  be  miserable  in  the  extreme.  On  our  re- 
turn from  the  West  Indies,  I  made  a  very  wicked  resolution  and 
carried  it  into  eflfect.  I  resolved  to  ship  in  the  first  vessel  that 
offered,  and  go  anywhere,  to  get  rid  of  religion  and  praying 
sailors.  We  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  August,  and  I  shipped 
on  the  day  we  arrived  in  the  brig  "  Oglethorpe,"  for  Savannah. 
I  remember  that  you  entreated  me  like  a  brother,  not  to  go,  as 
it   was   the   sickly  season  there.       I  excused  myself  by   saying 


68  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

I  never  had  been  sick,  and  therefore  had  no  apprehensions. 
The  real  reason  however  was,  I  wished  to  avoid  religious  seamen, 
and  get  among  men  of  my  own  way  of  thinking.  God,  however, 
arrested  me  in  my  mad  career.  I  was  taken  with  the  yellow  fever, 
as  we  were  going  out  of  Savannah.  Three  of  the  crew  were  already 
down  with  it,  and  so  bad  that  they  were  compelled  to  keep  their  , 
berths.  When  we  sailed,  being  short-handed,  we  gave  a  ' '  beach-  | 
comber.*"  as  the  sailors  called  him,  a  passage.  It  was  well  we 
did  so,  for  he  and  I  were  the  only  two  of  the  crew  that  could  do 
a  hands  turn.  Off  Tybee  Light,  we  sent  down  the  ro}'al yards,  the 
mate  going  up  to  the  main,  and  I  to  the  foretop-gallant  mast- 
head, but  as  there  was  no  one  on  deck  to  hoist  or  lower  away, 
we  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  I  was  seized  while  aloft  with  \-ioIent 
pains  in  the  neck  and  back,  which  so  weakened  me  that  I 
thought  that  royal-yard  and  I  must  come  down  by  the  run  to- 
gether. I  reached  the  deck  however,  with  great  difficulty,  and  was 
compelled  to  sit  down  on  the  coamings  of  the  hatch  ;  but  I  felt 
determined  not  to  give  up.  Yet  I  soon  became  so  helpless  that 
I  had  to  be  carried  below. 

"For  several  nights  the  fever  raged  so  fiercely  that  I  was  out 
of  my  mind.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  seemed  however  to  be 
pleading  with  me.  I  have  a  distinct  idea  of  a  dialogue  being 
carried  on  bet^veen  myself  and  some  unseen  personage.  I  was 
questioned  very  closely,  whether  I  would  give  up  my  sins  if  I 
were  permitted  to  live  ?  I  responded,  honestly  as  I  believed, 
that  I  had  not  done  any  great  sin.  But  that  did  not  appear  satis- 
1  ctory  to  the  unseen,  so  the  question  was  repeated.  I  found  a 
direct  answer  was  necessary,  and  I  gave  it,  rather  reluctantly, 
admitting  at  the  same  time  that  I  was  not  as  bad  as  some  others. 
This  finished  the  colloquy  for  the  time,  and  I  made  a  desperate 
effort  to  get  on  deck,  anJ  do  something,  fearing  lest  we  should 
catch  the  line  gale,  and  lose  the  vessel. 

' '  I  was  the  best  of  the  four,  but  I  could  not  walk  alone.  The 
captain  was  ver}^  angry  that  we  could  not  work  the  ship.  We 
managed  however  to  get  into  Norfolk.     One  man,  the  ' '  beach- 


CHRISTIAN    SAILORS.  69 

comber,"'  had  died  and  been  buried  at  sea.  The  rest  of  us  were 
taken  ashore  to  the  hospital.  Here  two  more  died.  After  a 
week,  I  resolved  to  make  an  effort  to  get  to  Philadelphia.  The 
only  survivor  of  the  crew  besides  myself  and  the  cook,  was  then 
dying,  and  went  to  his  account. 

"  The  cook  and  I  left  Norfolk  together,  and  arrived  safely  in 
Philadelphia.  After  seven  weeks  the  cook  died,  and  your  hum- 
ble servant  was  the  only  living  remnant  of  that  hapless  crew. 

' '  My  old  shipmates  found  me  a  living  skeleton — a  perfect 
wreck  of  my  former  self  But  they  found  me  more  ready  to  lis- 
ten to  reason  than  bsfore.  I  have  often  asked  God  why  I  was 
spared  alone,  of  that  brig's  crew  ?  I,  who  had  despised  so  many 
privileges  ?  After  resting  a  few  weeks,  another  rare  chance  was 
offered  me.  I  shipped  wiih  a  pious  captain  in  the  brig  ' '  Delight, " 
accompanied  by  some  of  my  former  shipmates.  During  fifteen 
months  in  her  I  did  not  hear  a  man  swear.  It  was  on  board  that 
vessel,  far  out  at  sea,  away  from  churches  and  ministers,  that  I  was 
led  to  see  my  error,  and  to  obtain  the  knowledge  of  God,  as  he  is 
manifested  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  shows  that  God  is  not  confined 
to  temples  made  with  hands,  and  that  whenever  or  wherever  he 
is  sought,  on  the  sea  or  on  the  land,  if  called  upon  sincerely  and 
in  truth,  he  will  reveal  himself  to  the  soul  that  seeks  him. 

"  I  have  often  heard  it  said,  and  so  have  you,  that  a  sailor 
cannot  serve  God  at  sea.  This  does  not  correspond  with  my  ex- 
perience. I  am  sure  that  they  who  make  this  statement  nave 
never  fairly  tried  it.  I  have  enjoyed  the  real  comforts  of  religion 
at  sea  more  than  I  ever  did  on  land,  and  I  feel  encouraged  to- 
day, and  am  assured  that  Christ's  is  the  only  way.  I  am  resolved, 
by  His  grace,  still  to  steer  for  the  beacon  on  JMount  Calvary.  We 
may  be  forced  b}'  an  adverse  wind  to  work  tack  and  half-tack  to 
windward,  and  sometimes  under  stress  of  weather  to  heave  her  to. 
But  I  mean  to  keep  her  close  at  it  until  I  fetch  in  between  the 
headlands  of  hope,  and  bring  up  forever,  safe  moored  in  the  ha- 
ven of  eternal  life. "' 

The  writer  of  the  above  subsequently  shipped  in  the 


70  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

revenue  cutter  ''  Legare,"  for  the  purpose  of  laboring  for 
Christ,  and  was  greatly  blessed  in  his  efforts.  Having 
served  out  his  time,  he  returned  home,  married  a  wife, 
bought  a  farm  and  settled  down  for  life.  But  he,  like  the 
rest  of  his  shipmates  of  the  schooner,  could  not  content 
himself  away  from  the  seaboard.  He  therefore  returned 
to  Philadelphia,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Sailors'  Home,  became  a  shipping-master,  an  officer  in  the 
Mariners'  Church,  and  labored  long  among  his  former 
companions  of  the  sea.  He  still  lives  (in  1884),  to  work 
and  worship  among  that  class  of  men,  in  the  midst  of 
whom  his  eyes  were  first  opened  to  the  light  of  spirit- 
ual life,  which  is  eternal. 

As  a  fitting  sequel  I  here  state  a  pleasing  fact  in  con- 
nection with  the  visit  of  my  brethren  and  myself  to  the 
island  of  Santa  Cruz.  In  May,  1847,  while  laboring  in 
New  London,  I  was  invited  to  make  an  address  at  the 
anniversary  of  the  American  Seamen's  Friend  Society, 
in  the  Broadway  Tabernacle,  New  York.  After  the 
address,  and  as  I  returned  to  my  seat,  a  gentleman  came 
upon  the  platform,  and  told  me  that  a  lady  in  the  audi- 
ence wished  to  speak  to  me.  On  reaching  her  side, 
she  introduced  me  to  a  young  gentleman  who  had  that 
day  arrived  from  Santa  Cruz.  I  found  in  him,  a  young 
man,  who  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  in  1841,  was  a  teacher 
to  Mr.  Stevenson's  slaves.  He  said  to  me,  *'  I  wished  to 
see  you,  as  I  recognized  in  you  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
"  Roanoke."  All  you  have  stated  concerning  the  effect 
of  your  visit  at  our  island  is  true.  I  can  substantiate 
every  word  and  more.  I  can  tell  you,  what  you  do  not 
know,  that  since  you  left  several  of  the  slaves  have  been 
converted  as  the  result  of  your  visit,  and   and   some  of 


CONSECRATED.  7 1 

them  have  fallen  asleep  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,  with  a  bright 
hope  of  a  joyful  resurrection.      One    boy,   only    twelve 
years  of  age,  was  converted  and  became  the  instrument, 
in   God's   hands,  of  the  conversion   of  his   father   from' 
Popery." 

He  further  stated,  that  he,  himself,  had  been  converted, 
and  was  now  on  his  way  to  Nashotah,  Wisconsin,  to 
enter  upon  a  course  of  study  for  the  ministry.  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  this  gentleman  still  lives,  and  though 
he  never  entered  the  ministry,  he  has  given  his  life  to 
Christian  work,  as  a  layman,  and  for  the  last  twenty 
years  has  been  superintendent  of  a  Sabbath-school.  In 
a  letter  to  me,  in  1881,  I  learn  that  he  is  still  engaged  in 
special  labors  for  the  salvation  of  the  young. 

Tlie  belief  that  I  was  called  of  God  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel which  had  saved  me,  being  firmly  fixed  in  my  mind, 
so  much  so,  that  I  felt  a  woe  would  follow  if  I  did  not 
obey  the  call,  I  determined  to  study  for  the  ministry. 
My  pastor  applied  to  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  to 
take  me  under  its  care  with  a  view  of  entering  upon  stud- 
ies preparatory  thereto,  and  to  recommend  me  to  the 
Board  of  Education,  as  one  of  its  beneficiaries.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  Presbytery  at  which  I  was  to  be  presented 
for  examination,  there  was,  as  I  subsequently  learned,  a 
doubt  in  some  minds  as  to  the  propriety  of  taking 
a  sailor  under  its  care  for  the  responsible  duties  of  the 
ministry.  Some  said  to  my  pastor,  '*  What  does  this 
sailor  know  about  the  matter  ?"  He  replied,  *'  Good 
brethren,  the  candidate  will  come  before  you,  and  you 
can  satisfy  your  own  minds  on  that  point." 

This  will  account  for  the  course  pursued  on  that  occa- 
sion.    The  moderator  appointed  that  venerable  man,  Dr. 


^2  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

Ashbel  Green,  to  conduct  the  examination,  who,  instead 
of  asking  me  questions  as  to  my  religious  experience, 
and  call  to  the  ministry,  said  to  me,  ''  Mr.  Jones,  be  kind 
enough  to  take  the  platform,  and  tell  these  brethren  why 
you  desire  to  be  a  minister,  and  why  you  think  you  are 
called  of  God  to  enter  upon  so  solemn  and  important  a 
work." 

This  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  telling  the  whole  story 
of  my  eventful  life,  and  recounting  the  dealings  of  Divine 
Providence  with  me,  from  the  beginning.  When  I  had 
finished  my  narrative,  which  was  listened  to  with  tearful 
attention,  Dr.  Green  said,  "  You  have  answered  all 
the  questions  which  I  had  intended  to  ask.  The  Pres- 
bytery have  now  an  opportunity  to  ask  the  candidate 
any  questions  they  may  deem  necessary."  Two  ques- 
tions only,  were  asked  ;  one  was,  as  to  the  particular 
field  of  labor  I  had  in  view  1  To  this  I  replied,  that 
there  were  two  fields  which  presented  themselves.  The 
first  was  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  sailors.  My  heart  went 
after  the  men  who  go  down  into  the  deep,  and  do  busi- 
ness in  great  waters.  The  second  was  to  go  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  India,  as  my  knowledge  of  the  Bengalese, 
picked  up  in  my  frequent  intercourse  with  Bengal  sailors, 
was  such  that  I  felt  I  could  soon  acquire  the  language 
sufficiently  well  to  enable  me  to  preach  in  the  popular 
dialect  without  the  tedious  process  of  learning  the  lan- 
guage grammatically.  But  I  was  ready  for  any  field  God 
in  his  providence  should  assign  me.  Dr.  John  Mc- 
Dowell, then  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  read  the  life  of  John 
Newton ;  and  on  my  replying  that  I  had  not,  he  urged  me 
to  procure  the  book  and  read  it,  as  there  were  many  fea- 
tures in  my  life  which  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  his. 


CONSECRATED. 

I  was  then  requested  to  wi^'adraw  a  few  minutes 
Shortly  after  my  pastor  came  out  and  told  me  I  was 
accepted,  and  would  be  rpcommended  to  the  Board  of 
Education.  I  thanked  God,  and  re-consecrated  myself  to 
his  service. 

Near   the  close  o   September,    1841,   at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  I  er-'red  the  academy  of  Mr    Joseph  P 
Engles,  in  Philar 'Pl>ia,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  hfe 
was  made  acqr  "ted  with  the  mysteries  of  the  English 
grammar.  gec'^Phy,  arithmetic  and  history      In  con 
nection  with/^^e  studies,  I  also  recited  in  the  Greek 
and  Latin  g-  "■"^■"s.     I„  tl,e  June  following  I  was  trans 
ferred  to  th  Model  School  of  Lafayette  ^olle"   EaT 
ton,  Pennsy^n«-     Here   I  was   prepared  for   Colle£.e" 
and  in  elev  months  from  the  time  of  entering  the  Acad 
emy  I  pass.  "7  examination  and  entered  the  Freshman 
Class.    As  >"  as  I  had  taken  possession  of  my  room  in 
college.  I  e'^i"shed  a  Saturday  evening  prayer-m"! 
ing,  which      students  were  invited  to  attend      That 
meeting  wr  ;"t'""ed  during  term  time,  until  our  class 
graduated,  ^f^     Many  precious  souls  were  stimu- 
lated and  ^'o'-ted.     Some  were  hopefully  converted 
there  whc'^  since  entered  into   their  rest.     One  of 
those  cor  '  ^^^^  for  many  years  a  Rev.   Professor  of 
Greek   L   """e.    'n    one   of   our   colle-es      He  w  a 
recently  i.=  f'"mphs  of  foith.  "    '         ^  "'*''* 

I  also  ■•'d  in  teaching  a  class  in  a  Sabbath-school 
some  twc  ^  ^om  college.  Subsequently  I  became  its' 
superinu  '  and  am  not  without  assurance  that  good 
was  done  to'scJ-'th  mquinn,33i„^„  of  Christ  oi^he 
effort.     Duringted   with   me,,g  j  "  tne 

for  means  to  /^-fessor  Will,,  o^^kX^ltZ 


YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

-ne  annually  from  the  Board  of 
ty-five  dollars  a.  ^j^^  g^^  it  was  necessary  to 
Education  was  a  i.  ,^^^^^_  j„  ^his  direction  I 
supplement  it  from  .  .^^j^^  ^^  ^^^  p^^^^,^  g^^^ 
was  materially  aided  .  ^^.^^  ^,^^  ^^p^j.^^  ^^ 
men's  Friend  Society  of  .  ^^^.^j^^  ^^  ^j^^j^.^^^ 
from  time  to  time  with  n>  ,^  ^^^^.^j  gratitude 
Among  these  I  would  meni  _^^  ^^^^^^  ^.^^ 
Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Potts,  Mrs.  John  ^^  ^,^^.^  _.^^^^^^_ 
Caroline  Tate,  all  of  whom  hav  ^   ,^^^^  ^^ 

I  replenished   my  finances   somt.       ^^^^^  ^^^_ 
Biblical  History  and  Biography,;    ^^^^   ^ 
jects  by   the   aid  of  a  magic   la^^^  ^ 

school  in  the  first  term  of  the  juni^^^  ^^^  _ 
vacations  in  missionary  work  amc';;^_^^.^^  ^^^^^^ 
tember  of  1S46,  I  graduated  and  <^^^^  ^^^  ^^^_ 
and  delivered  a  poem  of  which  t  ^^  ^^^^^^  ^^^ 
ject.  I  then  bade  a  long  farewel^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^^ 
college  life,  in  order  to  ascend  tnt 
logical  study. 


,c.c  1  naa  i 
\,  as  there, 
fiking  resu 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THEOLOGICAL   COURSE  AND   FIRST    MINISTRY. 

Theological  seminary — Prayer-meeting — Revival — Presbyterian  Church — 
A  reminiscence— Among  the  whalemen — Revival  in  Monmouth  County, 
N.  J. — Large  ingathering — One  convert  a  missionary  to  seamen — 
Licensed  to  preach — Vacation  work — Call  to  St.  Louis — Taken  in  tow — 
Introduction  to  boatmen.  Sabbath  desecration— Work  interfered  with 
by  fire— On  a  collecting  tour— Death  of  wife— Boys'  meeting — Ordain- 
ed an  Evangelist — First  boatmen's  church  organized — Dedication  of 
new  church — Doom  of  an  infidel — Call  to  New  York — Affectionate 
farewell — Public  approval — Gathered  results — Two  converts  enter  the 
ministry — Their  impressions — Voluntary  efforts — Co-workers  with 
Christ — Testimony  of  a  Christian  merchant. 

At  the  close  of  my  collegiate  course,  I  removed  to 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  on  the  27th  of  August  entered  the 
Theological  Seminary.  I  found  my  studies  here  some- 
what more  congenial  than  the  classics,  as  they  bore  more 
directly  on  the  work  of  the  ministry.  In  October  of 
that  year  I  established  a  prayer-meeting  in  a  private 
house  in  the  lower  part  of  the  town.  But,  as  it  grew  in 
numbers  and  importance,  it  became  necessary  to  remove 
to  a  larger  place.  A  school-room  in  the  neighborhood 
was  offered  for  the  purpose,  and  it  too  was  often  crowd- 
ed to  repletion  v/ith  inquiring  souls.  Other  students 
became  associated  with  me,  and  took  their  part  in  the 
labor  of  love.     Professor  WiUiam  H.  Green  also  became 

75 


76  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

deeply  interested  in  it,  and  often  came  and  preached  the 
Word  to  us.  This  blessed  work  continued  to  live  and 
grow  during  all  my  Seminary  course,  and  resulted  in 
the  conversion  of  precious  souls.  Many  of  these  subse- 
quently united  with  a  colony  from  the  First  Church  to 
organize  a  new  enterprise,  which  is  now  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Princeton.  Some  thirty  souls, 
at  least,  were  hopefully  converted  by  the  joint  efforts 
put  forth.  Some  others  moved  to  Virginia,  and  maintain- 
ed their  Christian  life  and  consistency  during  all  the 
dark  and  troublous  days  of  the  civil  war.  How  many 
more  were  benefitted,  eternity  along  will  reveal. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  connection  to  insert 
an  extract  from  a  letter  recently  received  from  Professor 
W.  Henry  Green,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  containing  a  reminis- 
cence of  that  work.      He  says : 

"I  have  always  felt  an  admiration  for  your  Christian  zeal, 
manifested  in  seizing  every  opportunity,  during  your  course  of 
study  in  the  Seminary,  to  labor  for  the  spiritual  good  of  all 
whom  you  could  reach  and  benefit ;  and  here  express  my  sense 
of  the  great  value  and  lasting  consequences  of  the  meetings 
which  you  conducted  in  the  lower  part  of  Princeton.  The 
awakening,  which,  under  the  Divine  blessing,  followed  your 
earnest  and  faithful  labors,  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  in  this  place,  of  which  I  have  always  con- 
sidered you  the  spiritual  father,  and  this  church  is  a  standing 
monument  of  your  pious  zeal  in  the  Master's  cause.  It  carries 
with  it  a  most  important  admonition  to  do  with  our  might  what- 
ever our  hands  find  to  do,  and  an  assurance  that  our  blessed 
Lord  will  not  let  humble  and  sincere  endeavors  to  spread  His 
kingdom,  fall  to  the  ground. " 

During  the  three  years  I  spent  in  Princeton,  I  devoted 
all  my  spare  time  to  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  others. 


AMONG   THE    WHALEMEN.  77 

To  this  end  I  went  into  the  outlying  towns  and  villages, 
making  temperance  addresses,  preaching  in  an  informal 
way,  and  doing  good  generally  as  I  found  opportunity. 
I  had  a  two-fold  object  in  view  in  following  this  course. 
I  was  desirous  of  glorifying  my  Saviour  by  bringing  sin- 
ners to  His  feet,  and  cultivating  my  own  powers  at  the 
same  time. 

At  the  close  of  March,  1 847,  I  received  a  letter  stating 
that  the  people  of  New  London,  Conn.,  were  expecting  a 
large  fleet  of  whale  ships  in  port  during  the  summer,  the 
crews  of  which  would  number  from  nine  hundred  to  one 
thousand  souls.  To  meet  the  spiritual  wants  of  these 
men,  to  point  them  to  Christ,  and  seek  the  salvation  of 
their  souls,  I  was  invited  to  minister  to  them  as  a  lay 
chaplain^  and  made  an  engagement  for  three  months,  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Female  Seamen's  Friend  Society, 
a  noble  band  of  self-denying  and  benevolent  women,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Commodore  Rogers  was  the  honored  First 
Directress.  Entering  upon  my  work  in  the  latter  part 
of  April,  I  visited  ships  and  boarding-houses,  distributed 
the  Word  of  God,  scattered  tracts,  preached  on  board 
vessels  and  in  the  various  churches,  and  in  every  other 
way,  by  personal  appeal  and  public  address,  labored  for 
their  salvation  whenever  and  wherever  I  could  get  access 
to  them.  Some  of  the  fruit  of  this  effort  was  visible  at 
the  time,  though  much  less  than  I  desired.  The  Divine 
seed,  however,  went  forth  on  the  wings  of  the  wind  to 
the  whaling  grounds  of  the  South  Seas,  and  to  other 
parts  of  the  world,  whither  the  out-going  vessels  were 
bound.  Some  of  the  living  bread  thus  cast  upon  the 
waters  was  found  after  many  days.      Before  I  left  New 


78  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

London,  almost  every  man  to  whom  I  brought  the  Gos- 
pel had  shipped  and  sailed  again. 

While  on  a  visit  to  that  place,  in  1849,  I  learned 
from  a  captain  that  several  of  those  whalemen  had,  on 
their  return,  connected  themselves  with  evangelical 
churches  in  New  Bedford,  in  parts  of  Maine,  and  else- 
where, who  stated  that  their  "  convictions  of  the  truth 
were  the  result  of  sermons  preached  by  the  Rev.  Chas.  J. 
Jones  in  the  old  Methodist  church  of  New  London,  in 
1847."  I  learned  also,  that  there  was  a  degree  of  seri- 
ousness on  board  of  the  ship  Julius  C^sar,  from  the  time 
she  left  port,  in  1847,  until  her  return;  that  rehgious 
worship  had  been  observed  daily,  and  that  some  of  her 
men  had  united  with  the  church. 

I  returned  to  Princeton  in  the  fall,  and  during  the  win- 
ter of  1847-8,  our  prayer-meetings  were  resumed  with 
blessed  results.  In  March,  1848,  while  we  were  rejoicing 
over  the  gracious  in- gathering.  Rev.  L.  H.  Van  Doren, 
of  the  old  Tennent  Church  in  Monmouth  county.  New 
Jersey,  being  in  the  midst  of  a  precious  revival,  came  to 
the  Seminary  for  help.  Two  of  the  brethren  and  my- 
self, at  his  invitation,  accompanied  him  home.  On 
reaching  the  neighborhood  we  found  the  people  every- 
where hungering  and  thirsting  for  the  Word.  After  a 
week  of  hard  work,  I  returned  to  my  studies.  We  heard 
subsequently,  that  in  addition  to  nearly  three  hundred 
converts  who  joined  Mr.  Van  Doren's  church,  the  congre- 
gation at  Freehold  was  increased  by  over  fifty  members. 
At  Hightstown  the  Baptists  received  one  hundred  and 
two.  At  Cranberry,  fifteen  were  added,  and  at  Spotts- 
wood  as  many  more. 

One  result  of  that  blessed  revival  ought  to  be  mentioned 


LICENSED    TO    PREACH.  79 

here,  because  it  is  associated  so  closely  with  the  work 
among  seamen  at  the  present  day.  On  an  evening  in 
which  I  preached  at  one  of  the  school-houses,  a  farmer 
of  som.e  wealth  was  converted,  and  became  at  once  a 
worker  in  the  gospel  field.  After  eleven  years  of  faithful 
service  for  Christ  in  his  own  neighborhood,  he  sold  his 
farm,  came  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  while  engaged 
in  business  has  thrown  himself  with  all  the  ardor  of  his 
new  love  into  missionary  work  among  seamen,  where  he 
continues  to  labor  with  unabated  vigor  and  zeal  unto  this 
day.  Thus,  in  addition  to  the  souls  actually  born  into 
the  kingdom  by  that  initial  effort,  an  impetus  to  labor 
for  others  was  given,  which  has  lost  none  of  its  original 
potency  in  a  period  of  over  thirty- five  years.  Who 
could  have  anticipated  that  the  preaching  of  a  converted 
sailor,  in  a  country  school-house,  far  away  from  the  sea- 
board, would  have  ultimated  in  a  faithful,  voluntary  and 
self-supporting  effort  at  soul-seeking  along  the  wharves, 
and  among  the  ships  and  sailors  of  New  York  city  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years  !  Yet  so  it  is,  and  the  end  is  not 
yet.  Well  may  we  exclaim,  ''  What  hath  God  wrought!'* 
"  Verily  He  sendeth  by  whom  He  will  send." 

On  the  fifth  of  April,  1848,  after  the  usual  examina- 
tion, the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  Hcensed  me  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  Blessed  privilege  !  Great  responsi- 
bility !  "  O  that  God  may  enable  me  to  be  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  Jesus  Christ  to  lost  souls  !"  was  my  heartfelt 
prayer  that  day. 

The  vacation  of  1848  was  spent  in  travelling  through 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania  as  an  agent  of  the  Philadelphia 
Seamen's  Friend  Society,  collecting  funds  and  endeavoring 
to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  sailors. 


8o  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

In  the  spring  of  1 849  I  was  called  to  take  charge  of  an 
enterprise  for  improving  the  moral  and  religious  condi- 
tion of  the  boatmen  of  the  Mississippi.  Being  excused 
from  attending  the  closing  exercises  of  the  seminary,  I 
married  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  9th  day  of  April  of  that 
year,  Miss  Martha  Baker,  to  whom  I  had  been  betrothed 
for  eight  years — she  having  generously  waited  for  me 
that  I  might  not  be  obstructed  in  my  studies.  We  reach- 
ed St.  Louis,  the  field  of  my  labors,  on  the  22nd  of 
April,  My  movements  were  thus  accelerated,  that  I 
might  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  spring  navigation 
on  the  western  waters. 

A  few  days  only  were  required  to  find  a  place  of 
abode,  and  on  the  2d  of  May  I  entered  fully  upon  my  life- 
work,  under  very  favorable  auspices,  as  far  as  the  object 
of  my  charge  was  concerned.  I  was  taken  in  tow  by  one 
of  the  oldest  boatmen  on  the  Mississippi,  who  boasted  of 
having  been  afloat  on  the  river  ever  since  his  childhood. 
He  had  poled  up  against  the  stream  in  the  days  of  kccl- 
boats.  He  was  full  of  reminiscences  and  anecdotes 
of  those  earlier  days,  and  regaled  me  vv^ith  a  graphic 
description  of  the  passage  of  the  first  steamboat  on  the 
river,  and  the  exciting  scenes  that  were  witnessed  on  the 
way.  He  assumed  the  prerogative  of  introducing  me  to 
the  officers  of  the  boats.  His  introductions  were  rather 
unique  in  their  method,  but  most  hearty  in  their  sincere 
goodwill.  One  will  suffice.  It  ran  like  this:  "Here,  cap- 
tain, I  want  you  to  be  acquainted  with  our  little  minister. 
He  is  none  of  your  fellows  with  their  white  chokers,  that 
you  can't  touch  with  a  forty  foot  pole.  He'll  come  along 
and  take  you  by  the  hand  and  say  a  good  word,  and  pass 
on,  if  you  are  in  a  hurry.      He  is  a  sailor,  he  is  ;  and  knows 


PREACHING    IN    ST.    LOUIS.  8 1 

when  to  speak.  If  he  sees  you  are  engaged,  he  will  not 
interrupt  you,  but  will  see  you  another  time.  I  want 
you  to  know  him,  and  just  give  him  a  kind  word, 
d'ye  see  ?  to  encourage  him.  You  must  come  to  church 
too  when  he's  got  a  place  to  preach  in,  now,  mind  ye." 
Quaint  as  was  the  introduction,  it  was  hearty,  and  did  me 
good  service ;  and  the  responses  on  the  part  of  the 
officers  and  men  were  quite  as  cordial.  IMany  expressed 
their  gratitude  that  there  was  one  man  at  least  that  was 
willing  to  think  and  work  for  the  neglected  boatmen. 
One  said  :  *'  I  am  glad  to  see  a  minister  who  is  not  too 
big  to  talk  to  boatmen.  Some  of  'em  come  aboard  with 
their  stiff  starched  cravats,  and  look  so  sanctified,  that 
a  boatman  can't  come  near 'em."  Another  said  :  "  Wc  all 
want  preaching  to."  Another,  '*  Well,  I'll  let  you  talk 
to  me  ;  I'm  a  sinner,  I  am."  I  found  among  them  some 
truly  pious  and  devoted  men,  who  were  subsequently  my 
most  zealous  supporters  and  assistants  in  every  good 
work. 

In  a  few  days  a  temporary  place  for  preaching  was 
secured.  The  Westminster  Presbyterian  Church  was 
engaged  for  a  part  of  the  day,  the  other  part  I  spent  in 
tlie  distribution  of  tracts,  and  in  personal  visitation 
among  the  men,  on  board  their  boats,  for  the  purpose  of 
inviting  them  to  the  house  of  God.  The  desecration  of 
the  Sabbath,  at  this  time,  was  fearful.  Boats  were  load- 
ing and  discharging  with  utter  disregard  of  all  law  and 
custom,  human  or  Divine.  I  learned  that  there  were 
eighty  thousand  boatmen  on  the  Mississippi,  and  its  trib- 
utaries ;  eight  thousand  of  these  connected  directly  with 
the  trade  of  this  city,  one  thousand  five  hundred  of 
whom  are  ashore  every  day. 
6 


82  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

To  meet  the  spiritual  wants  of  these  men,  I  was  the 
only  chaplain  on  the  rivers  west  of  Cincinnati  and 
Chicago.  The  responsibilities  of  such  a  position  were 
by  no  means  insignificant,  under  the  most  favorable  cir- 
cumstances. But  when  it  is  stated  that  the  facilities  for 
carrying  on  the  work  were  by  no  means  adequate,  it  will 
be  difficult  to  over-estimate  the  demand  upon  my  energies. 
Obstacles  to  success  seemed  to  multiply.  If  one  was 
removed  another  arose  in  its  place.  I  was  wont,  how- 
ever, to  look  on  the  bright  side,  and  was  not  easily  dis- 
couraged, although  not  entirely  without  my  fears.  My 
young  wife  was  dying  with  consumption.  Some  who 
had  embarked  in  the  enterprise,  were  loud  in  their 
expressions  of  dissatisfaction  at  the  want  of  zeal  in  others, 
and  seemed  inclined  to  withdraw  their  aid.  I  was  there- 
fore thrown  quite  largely  upon  my  own  resources.  But 
just  as  I  was  rallying  to  meet  the  existing  difficulty,  on 
the  17th  of  May,  a  steamboat  at  the  levee  took  fire. 
Before  she  could  be  backed  out,  the  flames  communica- 
ted with  other  boats,  and  swept  down  the  river  side  for  a 
distance  of  two  miles,  devouring  in  its  course  twenty- 
three  of  our  finest  boats,  and  licking  up  three  solid 
blocks  of  the  business  part  of  the  city. 

The  loss  of  several  millions,  out  of  the  boating  and 
mercantile  interests,  necessarily  precluded  the  possibility, 
■and  took  away  all  hope  of  procuring  funds  for  our  enter- 
prise for  months  to  come.  I  was  therefore  compelled  to 
change  my  tactics,  I  took  my  dying  wife  back  to  my 
mother  in  Philadelphia,  and  set  out  on  a  tour  of  the  east- 
em  cities,  to  raise  funds  for  the  work.  While  I  was  thus 
engaged,  I  was  recalled  to  Philadelphia  to  close  her  eyes, 
and  to  lay  her  body  away  in  the  grave.      On  the  19th  of 


ORDAINED    AN    EVANGELIST.  83 

August  she  breathed  her  last,  so  that  four  months  and 
ten  days  after  my  marriage  I  was  a  widower. 

After  attending  the  obsequies  of  my  dear  one  I 
swallowed  my  grief  and  returned  to  my  collectings. 
Having  raised  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  I  started  for  the 
West  to  pursue  my  work  with  redoubled  zeal.  On  my 
return  I  secured  Odd  Fellows'  Hall  on  Fourth  and  Olive 
streets,  for  regular  Sabbath  services.  Two  Sabbath 
schools  were  organized,  numbering  together  finally  one 
hundred  and  seventy  scholars.  I  assisted  in  the  organ- 
izing and  conducting  of  a  ''Boys'  meeting,"  which  kept 
some  two  hundred  urchins  out  of  the  streets  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  gave  to  them  such  practical  Bible  lessons  and 
instruction  as  laid  the  foundation,  at  least,  of  their  future 
usefulness.  On  the  9th  day  of  January,  1850,  I  was 
ordained  an  Evangelist  by  the  Presbytery  of  St.  Louis. 
The  Rev.  W.  S.  Potts,  D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon,  from 
Heb.  V.  4 ;  Rev.  J.  A.  Lyon  delivered  the  charge,  Rev.  Dr. 
Hall  having  proposed  the  constitutional  questions.  The 
service,  to  me,  was  one  of  pecuhar  solemnity.  At  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery,  I  felt  my 
whole  soul  go  out  to  God  in  an  agony  of  prayer  that  a 
double  portion  of  the  Divine  Spirit  might  be  conveyed 
to  me  through  their  act.  I  found  it  impossible  to  keep 
back  my  tears.  "  How  great  the  honor  to  be  taken 
from  the  dung-hill  and  set  upon  a  level  with  the  princes 
of  the  earth.  O  that  I  may  be  a  faithful  steward  of  the 
mysteries  of  God  to  these  '  men  of  the  waters' !  "  Thus 
I  wrote  in  my  diary. 

On  the  17th  of  March  a  church  organization  was 
effected  on  a  union  basis.  Thirteen  persons  constituted 
the  First  Boatmen's  Church  of  St.  Louis.     In  less  than 


84  FIFTY    YEARS    AMuNG    SAILORS. 

nine  months,  that  number  was  more  than  doubled.  On 
the  6th  of  June  I  entered  again  upon  the  responsibihties 
of  wedded  hfe,  taking  for  my  wife  Miss  Emma  Wood, 
of  Boston,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  During 
our  married  life  she  brought  to  our  happy  home,  over 
\/hich  she  presided  with  grace  and  dignity  for  thirty 
3-  ears,  five  dear  children.  To  her  gentleness  and  affec- 
tionate sympathy,  I  am  indebted  for  the  domestic  happi- 
ness of  all  those  years.  Much  of  my  usefulness  and  suc- 
cess in  the  ministry,  is  also  to  be  attributed  to  her  active 
energy  and  unselfish  co-operation  with  me  in  every- 
thing that  my  hands  found  to  do.  She  was  suddenly 
relieved  from  the  burden  of  earthly  care,  to  enjoy  the 
eternal  companionship  of  her  Lord,  April  loth,  i88o. 
Our  children  are  all,  under  God,  through  her  faithful 
teachings  and  godly  example,  in  the  bosom  of  the 
church,  and  anticipate  with  me  the  blessed  reunion  in 
our  Father's  house  above. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1850,  the  corner- stone  of  a 
church  edifice  was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies  on 
the  south  side  of  Green  street,  below  Third.  It  was  a 
neat  Gothic  structure,  built  of  brick,  sixty  feet  front,  by 
reventy  in  depth,  with  a  square  tower  ninety  feet  high, 
I  rected  on  ground  that  had  been  leased  for  thirty  years. 
Tlie  cost  altogether  was  about  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
On  the  2 1st  of  March,  1852,  it  was  dedicated  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God,  for  the  use  of  the  boatmen  of  the  West. 

In  this  church  I  labored  until  September,  1854,  at 
which  time  I  turned  it  over  to  the  care  of  the  Western 
Seamen's  Friend  Society,  which  organization  assumed 
the  responsibility  of  conducting  its  affairs,  on  the  condi- 
tion that  it  should  come  into  their  hands  unburdened  by 


Page    S^.—BOATMEN'S  CHUECH,  St.  LOUIS,  MO. 


boatmen's  church.  85 

debts.  This,  through  the  Hberallty  of- the  citizerxS  of  St. 
Louis,  I  was  enabled  fully  to  accomplish.  When  I  left 
there  was,  as  a  result  of  my  pastorate  of  five  and  a  half 
years,  a  church  capable  of  seating  three  hundred  and 
fifty  persons,  free  from  debt,  a  membership  of  sixty-five, 
a  good  congregation,  a  flourishing  Sabbath-school,  and 
stores  on  the  ground-floor,  rented  at  a  sum  sufftcient  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  lease.  It  was  therefore 
unencumbered,  and  in  a  flourishing  condition  to  await  the 
advent  of  my  successor. 

Many  incidents  of  thrilling  interest  occurred  during  my 
ministry  among  the  boatmen  ;  the  burning  of  boats,  col- 
lapsing of  flues,  bursting  boilers  and  deaths  in  the  most 
violent  and  painful  forms,  all  tending  to  rouse  the 
deepest  sympathies  and  incite  me  to  faithfulness  in  my 
Master's  work  ;  all  of  which,  together  with  my  conflicts 
with  infidels,  socialists  and  spiritualists,  must  be  passed 
by  in  order  to  come  to  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  main 
work  of  my  life;  for  the  sole  purpose  of  presenting 
which,  with  its  blessed  results,  this  book  is  written. 

One  incident  among  the  many  which  came  under  my 
personal  observation,  I  must  here  relate.  On  a  Sabbath 
morning  in  the  summer  of  1850,  while  making  my 
usual  tour  of  the  boats  laying  along  the  levee,  in  order  to 
distribute  tracts  and  invite  men  to  church.  I  boarded  a 
boat,  which  was  to  leave  the  next  morning,  for  the  up- 
per Mississippi.  Finding  a  number  of  engineers  and 
pilots  sitting  together  in  the  fore  part  of  the  cabin,  I 
offered  each  of  them  a  tract,  with  a  kind  invitation  to 
attend  divine  service  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  in  the 
evening.  They  were  all  very  courteous  and  civil  but 
one,   who   I   learned   was  the  captain  of  the  boat.     Ap- 


S6  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

proaching  me  with  a  rough  and  unkind  expression,  he 
asked  me  what  I  brought  those  things  for  ?  I  offered 
him  a  tract,  but  he  thrust  it  from  him,  with  an  oath,  and 
began  to  curse,  and  speak  of  such  pubhcations  as  Kes 
made  up  for  a  purpose,  and  invented  to  order,  and  ask- 
"cd  me  if  I  ever  read  them  myself?  I  rephed  that 
I  had  not  read  them  all,  but  could  vouch  for  them,  and 
such  was  my  confidence  in  the  truth  and  purity  of  the 
men  who  wrote  and  published  them,  that  I  felt  as  safe  in 
distributing  them  as  if  I  had  read  every  one.  He  still 
gave  vent  to  his  curses  and  infidel  sentiments,  and  seem- 
ed furious  in  his  opposition.  I  saw  that  he  was  not  in 
a  proper  mood  to  be  conversed  with,  and  thought  it  best 
not  to  press  the  matter,  but  said  to  him,  on  leaving, 
**  Well,  captain,  we  will  not  discuss  this  subject  further, 
as  it  is  unpleasant  to  you  ;  but  let  me  say  this,  before  I 
go.  You  and  I  are  hastening  to  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ,  where  we  must  both  give  an  account  of  this 
morning's  visit."  He  replied  in  a  contemptuous  tone  of 
voice,  and  in  words  more  forcible  than  polite  :  "  The 
judgment,"  prefixing  it  widi   a  vulgar  expletive,   ''  is   a 

long  way  off."    I  rephed,  *'  Captain,  it  may  be  much 

nearer  to  both  of  us  than  either  suspects."  He  took  no 
further  notice  of  my  remark,  and  I  left,  saying,  "  This  may 
be  the  last  opportunity  you  will  ever  have." 

On  the  Wednesday  foUovv^ing,  I  met  in  the  street  an 
engineer,  who  had  witnessed  the  interview  with  the  cap- 
tain on  board  the  boat.      He  said  to  me,    '*  Chaplain,  we 

were   very   sorry  that   Captain treated   you  so  on 

Sunday  morning.  After  you  had  gone  we  expostulated 
v/itb  him,  on  account  of  the  rough  manner  in  which  he  re- 
ceived you.      We   told   him  you   had  been  appointed  as 


CALL   TO    NEW    YORK.  8/ 

the  minister  to  boatmen ;  that  you  only  wanted  to  do 
them  good,  and  we  ought  at  least  to  treat  you  as  a  gen- 
tleman. He  replied,  he  did  not  know  who  you  were, 
and  he  did  not  want  those  lying  tracts.  By  the  way,'* 
said  this  gentleman,  "  did  you  notice  the  flags  at  half- 
mast  on  Tuesday  ?"  I  replied  that  I  had  seen  them, 
but  did  not  know  the   occasion   thereof.      "  Well,"   said 

he,  "  they  were  for  Captain ^."      "  What,"  said  I,  "  is 

it  possible  he  is  dead  ?"  He  rephed  in  a  subdued  tone, 
"  Yes,  he  is  dead.  He  took  his  wife  and  went  to  the 
Sulphur  Springs  on  Sunday  afternoon,  died  of  cholera 
that  night,  and  was  buried  yesterday."  ''  Then,"  said  I, 
**  the  judgment  was  not  so  far  off  as  he  had  conceived. 
Let  that  be  a  warning  to  you  to  be  ready  for  the 
call." 

Having  occasion  to  visit  the  East  in  the  summer  of 
1854,  on  account  of  the  failing  health  of  my  wife,  I  was 
invited  by  the  New  York  Port  Society  to  take  charge  of 
the  Mariners'  Church.  Feehng  it  to  be  my  duty  to 
accept  the  call,  I  returned  alone  to  the  West,  resigned  my 
charge  and  settled  up  my  affairs.  On  the  23d  of  Septem- 
ber, 1S54,  I  took  my  farewell  of  my  dear  people  at  St. 
Louis,  among  whom  I  had  found  warm  hearts  and  strong 
hands  always  ready  to  help  me.  The  congregation  pre- 
sented me,  as  a  token  of  affectionate  esteem,  with  a  mas- 
sive silver  pitcher,  two  goblets  and  a  salver.  The  child- 
ren of  the  Sabbath-school  added  a  silver-headed  cane. 
These  articles  bore  inscriptions  expressive  of  the  good 
wishes  of  the  donors,  to  serve  as  mementos  of  pleasant 
associations,  and  of  their  good  will. 

As  an  evidence  that  my  efforts  in  this  field  were  not 
unappreciated   by  the   public  in  general,  I  insert  here  an 


88  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

extract  from  one  of  the  daily  papers,  published  about 
the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  church.  It  is  headed 
The  "  Boatmen's  Church,"  and  reads  thus  : 

"  For  several  years  past  the  community  have  been  watching  the 
progress  of  an  undertaking  whose  objects  commend  it  in  the 
strongest  terms  to  their  benevolent  sympathies,  but  whose  feeble 
condition  seemed  to  threaten,  sooner  or  later,  its  ultimate  down- 
fall. From  the  date  of  its  birth  and  along  through  all  its  strug- 
glings  for  an  established  foothold,  whether  in  the  sunlight  of 
hope  or  in  the  shadow  of  despair,  we  have  seen  the  energies 
of  one  man,  perpetually  active  in  its  behalf  A  faithful  pilot,  he 
has  watched,  with  sleepless  vigilance,  every  approach  of  danger, 
and  found  the  surest  way  of  escape.  An  ever  ready  defender,  he 
has  breasted  every  foe,  and  by  his  tongue  or  pen,  has  disarmed 
or  vanquished  opposition.  A  disinterested  friend,  he  has  hesitated 
at  no  sacrifice  which  he  had  the  power  to  make,  whether  of 
means  or  of  labors,  for  the  safety  and  prosperity  of  the  enterprise 
which  had  his  all-absorbing  devotion.  He  did  not  fail  of  attain- 
ing his  ultimate  object,  because  he  would  not.  He  now  sees  a 
triumphant  fulfilment  of  his  hopes,  and  long  may  he  live  to 
enjoy  it,  and  to  be  the  almoner  of  those  moral  benefactions  which 
a  hitherto  neglected  class  of  men  will  derive  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  Boatmen's  church.  No  one  in  this  com- 
munity will  need  be  told  that  our  reference  is  to  its  pastor,  the 
Rev.   Charles  J.   Jones. " 

Among  many  gracious  results  of  my  ministry  in  St. 
Louis,  which  are  yet  distinct  and  traceable,  was  the  con- 
version of  two  lads,  who  were  members  of  my  Sabbath- 
school,  both  of  whom  entered  upon  a  course  of  study  for 
the  ministry,  and  finished  their  curriculum  with  credit  to 
themselves,  and  with  acceptance  to  the  church.  They 
are  now  prominent  and  useful  pastors,  the  one  in  Indiana, 
and  the  other  in  Westchester,  in  New  York.     Both  have 


GRACIOUS    RESULTS.  89 

been  blessed  in  their  ministry,  and  as  preachers  are 
above  the  general  level.  Both  have  been  permitted  to 
enjoy,  as  a  result  of  their  faithfulness,  gracious  revivals, 
in  which  large  additions  v/ere  made  to  their  respective 
churches.  One  of  them  has  taken  rank  with  the  literary 
men  of  our  country  as  the  historian  of  the  county 
in  which  he  resides,  and  is  the  author  of  other  valuable 
publications.  These  young  men  have  kindly  forv/arded 
to  me  letters  containing  their  reminiscences  of  incidents 
witnessed  and  paiticipated  in  by  themselves  during  the 
stirring  years  of  my  first  pastorate.  The  reader  will  par- 
don me,  I  trust,  for  inserting  those  letters  here,  as  they 
give  vivid  and  life-like  descriptions  of  events  to  which  I 
have  not  myself  referred,  lest  I  should  seem  to  be  sound- 
ing my  own  praise.  Such  things  as  they  have  written 
may  be  more  appropriately  narrated  by  another  than  my- 
self, as  they  arc  the  impressions  of  a  third  party.  Impres- 
sions, too,  made  upon  those  who  were  in  the  church,  and 
therefore  familiar  with  its  internal  affairs,  and  capable  of 
appreciating  the  value  of  the  spiritual  energies  and  agen- 
cies put  forth.  They  participated  in  and  enjoyed  bless- 
ings such  as  they  are  now  tliemselves  laboring  to  repro- 
duce.    The  elder  of  these  writes  as  follows  : 

' '  Shelbyville,  Indiana,  Sept.  24ih,  1880. 
' '  Mv  dear  old  Friend  and  father  in  Christ — I  am  very  sorry 
indeed  that  I  cannot  furnish  the  chapter  for  your  book  that  I 
proposed  and  intended  to  write.  I  was  anxious  to  delineate  such 
points,  as  these,  in  regard  to  your  St.  Louis  ministry.  I  thought 
you  a  very  remarkable  man,  in  the  depth,  tenderness  and  sweet- 
ness of  your  piety.  It  was  always  comforting  to  hear  you,  or  to 
be  near  you.  The  way  you  used  to  shake  hands  with  the  con- 
yrf'^ation  r-fter  preaching,  and  your  look,  was  literally  a  means  of 


90  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

grace.  I  speak  from  my  own  and  others'  experience.  I  then 
thought  and  now  think  your  preaching  was  very  powerful  and 
impressive  and  stirring.  Your  extempore  efforts  were  fully 
equal  to  your  written  sermons. 

''The  deepest  impressions  of  my  life  were  made  upon  me  by 
my  beloved  first  pastor.  Your  boldness  in  defending  the  truth, 
and  the  ability  and  success  with  which  you  did  it,  made  a  life- 
long impression  upon  me,  and  produced  an  immense  effect  in 
St.  Louis,  that  is  even  now  spoken  of  I  have  never  seen  your 
equal  in  the  Sabbath-schools,  nor  as  a  speaker  to  children. 
Eternity  alone  can  unfold  the  true  history  of  the  Broadway  Boys' 
Meeting.  Your  popularity  was  simply  enthusiam.  Your  fare- 
well sermon  showed  that.  I  never  witnessed  a  like  scene  ;  such 
tender  emotion  and  tears.  The  amount  of  business  you  used  to 
do  in  your  church,  in  the  general  Sabbath-school  cause  in  the 
city,  in  temperance,  in  writing  for  the  press,  in  aiding  individu- 
als, were  a  marv^el  to  me.  To  this  day  I  cannot  comprehend 
how  you  did  it  all,  and  did  it  so  well. 

' '  Sincerely  yours,  "  G.    S. " 

The  other  wrote  in  August,  1880  : 

' '  Afy  Dear  Mr.  Jones — You  wished  me  to  give  you  some  ac- 
count of  my  conversion  to  Christ,  and  my  views  in  seeking  the 
ministry.  My  first  serious  impressions,  as  I  remember  them 
now,  occurred  when  I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  Previous 
to  this  I  had  lived  in  neglect  of  God  and  his  cause  ;  but  about 
this  time  I  commenced  attending  the  Boys  and  Girls'  Meeting, 
in  the  old  Broadway  Market  House,  St.  Louis.  This  meeting, 
started  by  yourself  and  a  few  friends,  among  whom  were  Mr. 
Charles  Salter,  Rev.  A.  Armstrong,  Mr.  McNair,  and  William 
Brown,  was  composed  of  boys  and  girls  gathered  from  the  street. 
Li  this  meeting  my  young  heart  was  deeply  impressed  with  di- 
vine things.  I  saw  myself  a  lost  sinner,  without  God,  and  with- 
out hope  in  the  world.  About  that  time  I  united  with  the  Sab- 
bath-school of  the  Boatmen's  Church,   on    Green  street.     And 


BOYS    MEETING.  QI 

there,  the  impressions  made  upon  my  heart  in  the  boy's  meeting 
were  deepened.  Here  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  George 
Sluter,  and  was  greatly  aided  by  him  in  finding  my  way  to 
Christ.  I  well  remember  the  long  struggle  I  had  with  sin,  and 
the  almost  hopeless  despair  that  settled  down  upon  me.  But 
God,  who  is  infinite  in  mercy,  manifested  the  riches  of  his  grace, 
and  the  fulness  of  his  love  in  dissipating  those  clouds,  and  filling 
my  soul  with  the  sunshine  of  his  presence.  I  well  remember  the 
happiness  and  peace  that  filled  my  soul  as  the  light  of  heaven 
came  streaming  into  my  heart.  Under  your  guidance  and  advice 
I  united  with  your  church  on  the  14th  of  May,  1854.  I  im- 
mediately commenced  working  in  the  vineyard,  under  your  di- 
rection, seeking  to  bring  others  to  a  knowledge  of  that  Saviour 
who  was  so  precious  to  my  own  heart.  Though  a  mere  lad  of 
but  fourteen  years,  I  took  a  class  in  the  .Sabbath-school,  and 
with  my  friend  Sluter,  spent  ever}^  Sabbath  afternoon  in  distribut- 
ing tracts  for  you,  along  the  levee,  and  on  the  steamboats.  We 
often  visited  from  twenty  to  thirty  liquor  saloons,  distributing 
tracts,  talking  to  the  inmates  about  their  souls  and  eternity  ;  but 
our  chief  work  was  among  the  boatmen.  We  \-isited  even'  boat, 
gave  tracts  to  all  we  met  on  board,  and  invited  them  to  come  to 
the  Boatmen's  church. 

* '  Another  feature  of  our  work,  consisted  in  standing  in  front 
of  the  church,  every  Sabbath  evening  for  about  half  an  hour  be- 
fore evening  service,  giving  tracts,  and  inviting  all  who  passed 
to  come  to  the  services  of  God's  house.  In  this  way  we  indue-  ' 
ed  many  to  come  to  the  church  to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel.  It  was  while  engaged  in  this  work,  that  a  strong  desire 
came  into  my  heart  to  preach  the  gospel.  I  wished  to  make 
known  the  joyful  news  of  salvation  to  all  the  world.  This  de- 
sire grew  and  strengthened  from  day  to  day,  until  it  became  the 
consuming  desire  of  my  soul.  I  longed  to  be  an  instrument  in 
God's  hands  of  leading  lost  and  ruined  souls  to  Christ,  of 
directing  them  to  that  Saviour  whose  merits  are  infinite,  and 
whose  blood  can  cleanse  away  every  stain  of  sin.     God,  in  his 


92  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

providence,  opened  up  the  way  for  me  to  study  for  the  ministry, 
and  now,  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  I  have  had  the  unspeakable 
privilege  of  preaching  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  I  wish  to 
say,  that  it  has  always  been  a  source  of  profound  thankfulness  to 
me,  that  I  had  your  counsels,  and  prayers  and  advice  in  the  early 
stages  of  my  religious  life.  I  am  glad  that  you  directed  me  to 
the  sure  and  safe  foundation,  that  you  impressed  upon  me  at  the 
veiy  outset  of  my  religious  life,  that  I  was  to  be  a  co-worker 
with  Christ,  in  bringing  souls  into  the  kingdom,  and  that  I 
should  commence  this  work  immediately.  I  am  glad  that  in 
my  youth,  the  formative  period  of  life,  I  enjoyed  so  faithful  a 
ministry  as  yours  was  in  St.  Louis.  It  will  be  a  source  of  thank- 
fulness to  me,  through  all  eternity,  that  God,  in  his  providence, 
guided  me  to  the  Boatmen's  church,  and  permitted  me  to  enjoy 
the  preaching  of  its  faithful  and  successful  pastor. 

"  Yours  truly,  R.  A.  D." 

The  next  testimony,  and  the  last  in  this  connection,  is 
from  an  educated  Christian  merchant  of  St.  Louis,  an 
alumnus  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  He  was  familiar 
with  the  difficulties  I  encountered  from  the  assaults  of  the 
enemies  of  the  truth.  He  knew  their  animus  and  their 
aims,  was  familiar  with  their  plans,  attended  their  infidel 
gatherings  as  a  witness  for,  and  a  defender  of  the  word 
of  God,  and  materially  aided  me  to  counteract  the  de- 
moralizing influence  they  were  exerting  on  the  youth 
of  the  city. 

"  PoLLERTON  Castle,   Carlow,  Ireland,  October  20ih,  1880. 

^ '  My  dear  Brother — Your  most  welcome  letter  of  the  6th  inst. 
has  been  placed  in  my  possession  by  the  mail  of  this  morning, 
wafting  my  memory  back  across  the  wide  Atlantic,  and  the  ever 
widening  ocean  of  time,  for  well  nigh  thirty  years,  when  a 
dweller  in  St.  Louis  and  a  member  of  your  household,  I  saw 
the  'First  Boatmen's  church,' founded  and    raised  by  your  un- 


LETTER    FROM    CHARLES    CASEY.  93 

tiring  energy,  unflagging  zeal,  and  heroic  perseverance.  When, 
as  the  years  rolled  on,  I  saw  that  church  become  a  veritable 
Beth-el,  to  the  hitherto  castaways  on  the  moral  desert  of  the 
levee,  and  for  the  first  time,  the  most  demoralized  and  uncared 
for  class  of  the  population,  won,  to  give  a  glad  hearing  to  the 
words  of  eternal  life,  I  saw  how  that  seemingly  irredeemable  class, 
which  no  man  cared  for,  and  who  had  lain  bound  by  Satan  in  fet- 
ters of  habit  and  dens  of  wickedness,  were  personally  sought  out 
in  their  bondage,  and  their  rescue  achieved  by  the  grace  and 
mercy  of  God,  working  through  your  exertion  ;  I  saw  how  that, 
wooed  as  it  were  by  the  zeal  of  a  love  unfeigned,  to  attend  the 
Boatmen's  church,  the  poor  fellow^s  heard  from  the  capstan-head 
on  the  forecastle  (a  uniquely  designed  pulpit)  in  homely  and 
familiar  words  the  touching  story  of  the  Cross — the  glorious  gospel 
of  the  grace  of  God,  the  full  and  free  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  the 
promise  and  assurance  of  everlasting  life.  No  quarter-deck  theo- 
logy with  Sinaitic  threatening,  that  hardens  the  more  hearts  obdu- 
rate by  long  habit  and  hard  usage,  but  the  Calvary-toned  persua- 
sion of  love,  turning  the  stony  heart  into  a  heart  of  flesh,  and 
calling  forth  the  dead  and  buried  conscience  from  its  tomb  of  in- 
dulged sinfulness,  to  the  life  of  sin-conviction,  the  necessity  of 
repentance  and  reformation,  and  the  belief  of  plenaiy  forgiveness 
and  salvation  by  the  grace  of  God,   through  faith  in  Christ. 

''  I  watched  and  saw  how  the  first-fruits  of  your  Pauline  zeal 
became  missionaries  among  their  fellows,  until  the  congregation 
'increased  tenfold,  and  how  that  when  with  upraised  and  out- 
stretched hands,  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love 
of  God,  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost  were  invoked,  an 
answer  was  vouchsafed  in  the  Pentecostal  fulness  with  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  poured  upon  the  converted  souls  of  the  congre- 
gation. jMoreover,  I  saw — when  pernicious  doctrines  of  pre- 
tended wizards  (called  spiritualism)  and  sadduceeic  materialism, 
spread  in  our  city,  leading  away  thousands  of  the  credulous  and 
unwary  on  the  broad  and  downward  road  to  perdition — how  faith- 
fully and  fearlessly  you  fought  the  good  fight,  with  the  sword  of 


94  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  spirit,  for  the  faith  once  deUvered  to  the  saints,  and  helped 
and  strengthened  me,  a  weak  and  unworthy  helper  in  the  outside 
contest  against  these  doctrines  of  devils,  whereby  many  were  led 
to  destruction,  and  many  more  would  have  been,  but  for  the 
grace  of  God  helping  our  opposition. 

' '  On  the  broad  earth,  on  the  deep  sea,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
this  day,  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  living  and  dead,  testify  to  the  lov- 
ing mercy  of  our  Father  in  having  redeemed  them  through  your 
ministry  from  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness  ;  and 
I  humbly  thank  God  for  the  privilege  of  being  permitted  to  testify 
to  his  grace  and  glory,  in  that  you  have,  njy  dear  brother  in 
Christ,  preached  the  word,  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season, 
reproving,  rebuking,  exhorting,  with  charity  and  long-suffering. 
And  I  rejoice  in  the  conviction  that  there  is  henceforth  laid  up 
for  you  a  '  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
jiidge,  shall  give  you  at  that  day,  and  not  to  you  only,  but  unto 
all  them  that  love  the  Lord. ' 

*'  Ever  faithfully  and  fraternally  yours, 

"  Charles  Casey/' 


CHAPTER  V. 

mariners'  church,  new  YORK,  1 8 54-5 — FIRST  FRUITS. 

Mariners'  Church — Good  and  bad  spirits — Early  history — Dedication — 
Organization — Fruits  of  labor — Gathering  the  crew — "  That  prayer 
haunted  me  " — Anders  Jensen — Apostolic  zeal — A  serious  accident — 
Consistent  Christian — Bible  colporteur — Service  in  the  navy — U.  S.  brig 
Bainbridge — All  hands  lost— Fred.  Starr— "Thou  art  the  man  "-—Grace 
to  believe — Revenue  cutter  "Joseph  Lane  " — Converts — Missionaries  to 
Sweden,  Norway  and  Denmark — Enters  the  navy — Humboldt  Bay — 
Twenty-nine  years  for  Christ. 

After  a  few  weeks  rest  among  the  mountains  of 
New  Hampshire,  I  came  with  my  family  to  New  York, 
and  entered  upon  my  ministrations  to  the  men  of  the 
sea.  The  prospect  was  not  at  all  flattering,  when  on  the 
1 2th  of  October,  1854,  I  preached  my  first  sermon  to  my 
new  charge.  The  reader  may  imagine  a  small  company 
of  about  forty  persons  in  a  hall,  not  much  larger  than 
many  parlors  in  the  city,  and  that  too,  over  a  rum-shop. 
If  the  numbers  were  few,  their  hearts  were  warm  with 
the  love  of  Christ,  and  their  hands  were  strong  to  labor 
for  the  Lord.  Their  greeting  was  most  cordial  and 
cheering,  but  the  associations  of  the  place  were  not  very 
assuring.     While  Vv'e  v;orshipped  there,  v/e  could  say  of 

95 


96  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

a  truth   that   we    had    rum,  for    once,    under    our    feet. 
There  was 

**  A  spirit  above  and  a  spirit  below, 
A  spirit  of  weal  and  a  spirit  of  woe ; 
The  spirit  above  was  a  spirit  Divine, 
But  the  spirit  below  was  the  spirit  of  wine." 

And  blessed  be  the  great  head  of  the  Church,  the  good 
Spirit  remained  with  us  after  we  left  the  hall  and  entered 
our  own  church  edifice  ;  so  that  the  relative  position 
of  those  spirits  was  never  reversed.  It  must  not  be 
inferred  that  the  enterprise  had  but  just  begun.  It  had 
a  history,  dating  back  a  generation  before  I  was  appoint- 
ed. It  was  originally  located  in  Roosevelt  street,  and 
possessed  a  capacious  church  building,  erected  in  1 8 19, 
which  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  church  ever 
erected  on  the  land,  as  far  as  we  know,  for  the  special 
use  of  seamen.  It  had  been  a  centre  of  holy  influences 
there  for  years  before  my  ministry  commenced.  Within 
its  sacred  walls,  many  of  the  sons  of  the  sea  had  found 
peace  in  believing,  under  the  ministrations  of  the  Rev. 
Henry  Chase,  who  for  thirty  years  lured  men  by  the  love 
of  Christ.  He  ceased  from  his  labors  and  entered  the 
heavenly  rest  in  1853.  Shortly  after  his  death,  the 
neighborhood  having  changed,  that  building  was  sold, 
and  the  congregation,  in  the  absence  of  a  settled  pastor, 
had  been  scattered  among  other  churches.  The  Port 
Society  then  removed  to  the  hall,  to  which  reference  has 
been  made,  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Monroe  streets. 
During;  the  first  six  months,  the  audience  and  the  Sab- 
bath-school  had  so  largely  increased,  that  the  hall 
became  too  small  for  us. 


MARINERS'    CHURCH,    NEW    YORK.  97 

In  May,  1855,  we  removed  to  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  on  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Catherine 
streets,  which  we  occupied  on  the  afternoons  of  the  Sab- 
bath until  October  of  that  year,  when  the  Port  Society 
purchased  the  building.  A  few  weeks  having  sufficed  for 
the  cleansing  and  renovating  of  the  interior,  the  opening 
services  were  held  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  November. 
The  pastor  preached  the  opening  sermon  from  Haggai 
iL  3-9.  On  the  23d  of  December,  the  church  was  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God,  as  a  Seamen's 
Church.  The  Rev.  J.  W.  Alexander,  D.D.,  preached  the 
sermon,  from  Revelations  xx.  13,  and  in  the  evening  the 
Rev.  S.  H.  Tyng,  D.D.,  preached  from  Matthew  x.  8. 
In  the  afternoon,  the  Sabbath-school,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  Mr.  Samuel  Holmes,  numbering  one  hundred 
and  fifty  scholars,  celebrated  its  thirty-eighth  anniversary, 
having  been  organized  in  18 18. 

Up  to  this  time,  as  already  stated,  there  had  been  no 
church  organization.  The  church,  so-called,  was  a  body 
without  a  soul,  an  inn  without  refreshments  ;  the  min- 
ister a  mere  preacher,  and  the  people  a  congregation. 
The  conversion  of  a  sailor,  was  in  one  sense  a  loss,  rather 
than  a  blessing  to  the  preacher  and  the  congregation ; 
for,  as  soon  as  he  began  to  breathe  his  new  life,  he  was 
compelled  to  go  elsewhere  for  nourishment.  This  was 
felt  to  be  an  evil  of  no  small  magnitude,  but  how  could 
it  be  remedied  ?  The  Port  Society  was  composed  of  men 
from  several  denominations  of  Christians  ;  all  could  not  be 
united  in  any  one  denomination,  and  if  they  could  have 
been,  the  charter  of  the  society  would  not  warrant  a  sec- 
tarian organization.  Yet  an  organization  was  essential 
to  the  continuance  of  the  relation  so  auspiciously  begun. 
7 


98  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

A  plan  of  union  was  proposed,  In  which  all  who  loved 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  received  the  fundamental 
truths  of  Christianity,  could  form  themselves  into  a  dis- 
tinct, permanent  and  independent  church,  in  which  the 
people  could  have  all  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's  house 
administered  to  them  for  their  nourishment  and  growth, 
and  of  which  the  minister  should  be  the  bona-fide  pastor. 
The  plan  was  not  adopted  without  much  prayer  and 
counsel.  The  arguments,  pro  and  con,  were  patiently 
heard  and  duly  considered.  Some  of  the  wisest  and  best 
of  our  ministers  in  different  parts  of  the  country  were 
consulted.  Among  them  the  sainted  Dr.  James  W.  Alex- 
ander, who  gave  to  it  his  warm  and  hearty  support. 

On  the  2d  of  March,  1856,  an  organization  was 
effected,  on  an  independent  basis,  by  the  adoption  of  a 
confession  of  faith,  form  of  covenant,  and  standing  rules 
for  its  government,  under  the  name  and  title  of  the 
*'  Mariners'  Church  of  the  Port  of  New  York,"  which 
thus  became  a  pioneer  church  in  the  work  of  Christian 
union. 

There  were  false  prophets  in  those  days — prognostica- 
torsofevil,  who  declared  '*it  could  not  stand,  it  would  fall  of 
its  own  weight ;  and  furtherm.ore  that  the  churches  would 
not  sustain  it.  It  would  become  necessarily  sectarian."  The 
character  of  these  prophecies  are  manifest  in  the  fact  that 
the  church  which  came  into  being  on  that  day,  with  sixty 
members,  on  the  seventh  anniversary  of  its  organization 
had  enrolled  on  its  books  over  seven  hundred  and  sixty. 
The  secret  of  this  success,  under  God,  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  people  had  a  mind  to  work.  They  became 
a  spiritual  people,  and  by  God's  grace  came  in  on  the 
tidal  wave  of  the  revival  of  1857  and  1858.     The  pastor's 


MARINERS'    CHURCH,    NEW    YORK.  99 

hands  were  upheld  by  the  Port  Society,  whose  generous 
support  raised  him  beyond  the  sphere  of  worldly  care  and 
anxiety,  and  whose  cordial  sympathy  in  the  work  encour- 
aged his  heart  by  their  prayers  and  personal  co-operation. 
He  was  no  less  cordially  sustained  by  the  social  habits  of 
the  people,  by  the  missionary  zeal  of  the  hundreds  of  our 
seamen,  who  were  scattered  abroad  over  the  sea,  speaking 
all  languages,  and  living  and  working  for  Christ;  but  above 
all  and  beyond  all  by  the  continued  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  manifested  his  converting  power  in  a  marvel- 
lous degree  to  the  unbelieving,  and  his  comforting  grace 
in  the  edification  of  his  faithful  people. 

In  addition  to  the  labors  of  the  pastor  and  the  faithful 
missionaries  in  this  field,  there  were  other  agencies  in 
operation,  all  of  which  contributed  to  the  general  result. 
Since  the  institution  of  the  Port  Society,  in  18 18,  and  its 
incorporation  in  18 19,  other  organizations  sprung  up  from 
time  to  time,  most  of  which  arc  still  fresh  and  vigorous. 
Among  these  are  The  American  Seamen's  Friend  Society, 
The  Marine  Bible  Society,  The  Seamen's  Retreat,  The 
Home  for  Destitute  Children  of  Seamen,  The  Mariners' 
Family  Industrial  Society,  Sailors'  Homes,  The  Asylum 
for  Infirm  Widows,  Wives  and  Mothers  of  Seamen,  The 
Seamen's  Bank  for  Savings,  the  Swedish  Bethel  Ship, 
The  Episcopal  Floating  Churches,  The  Methodist  andi 
Baptist  Mariners'  Churches,  and  the  Marine  Temperance 
Society,  numbering  at  this  time  over  sixty-eight  thous- 
and members. 

Having  anticipated  somewhat,  in  order  to  present  an 
outline  of  the  progress  made  in  organizing  and  getting 
the  church  into  regular  working  condition,  I  now  return  to 
the  narrative. 


100  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

The  first  six  months  service  in  my  new  field  was  nec- 
essarily formative,  the  season  of  germs,  the  seed  time. 
Everything  was  new.  The  people  were  strange  to  me 
and  I  to  them.  Much  time  and  labor  were  expended 
therefore  in  laying  the  foundation  for  the  future.  Yet 
it  was  not  by  any  means  <^// seed -sowing.  There  was  some 
in-gathering  the  result  of  former  efforts.  Some  seed 
then  sown  brought  immediate  returns.  The  living  word, 
in  some  cases,  like  Aaron's  rod,  budded  and  blossomed 
and  brought  forth  fruit  in  a  single  night.  Such  fruit  too, 
as  retained  its  original  freshness  and  fragrance  for  years 
after  its  inception.  Germs  then  planted  have  grown  up  and 
flourished  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord;  some  of  them  now, 
after  a  quarter  of  a  century,  having  the  seed  in  them- 
selves, still  bear  rich  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God. 

A  few  days  only  sufficed  me  to  get  the  lay  of  the  land, 
and  gather  suitable  material  for  my  work.  The  ship 
being  ready  for  sea,  the  next  thing  was  to  gather  the 
crew.  To  this  end  I  went  out  into  the  highways  and 
by-ways,  visited  extensively  the  families  and  boarding- 
houses  where  the  men  were  to  be  found.  I  canvassed  the 
wharves  and  the  shipping,  men-of-war  and  merchantmen, 
the  City  Hospital,  the  U.  S.  Naval  Hospital  at  Brooklyn, 
the  U.  S.  Receiving  Ship,  the  Seamen's  Retreat  on 
Staten  Island,  the  Sailors'  Homes,  and  the  Tombs,  to  find 
suitable  material  to  work  upon.  I  preached  sermons, 
delivered  lectures,  made  temperance  addresses,  and  held 
private  conversations  ;  I  distributed  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments, and  other  good  books,  entreated  men  personally, 
and  prayed  widi  them  alone.  I  pressed  young  men  and 
old  into  the  service,  organized  sewing  circles,  estabhshed 
prayer  and  temperance  meetings,  wrote  to  sailors  while 


"FIRST-FRUITS."  lOI 

absent,  and  button-holed  them  when  at  home  ;  in  short, 
laid  every  available  force  under  tribute  to  bring  men  into 
direct  personal  intercourse  with  my  own  soul,  that  my 
Saviour  might  be  glorified  in  them.  Having  great  confi- 
dence in  the  warm  grasp  of  the  hand,  the  kind  word,  and 
the  affectionate  tone.  My  own  sea  life  and  experience 
suggested  these  to  me  as  a  means  by  which  to  win  the 
souls  I  longed  to  save. 

I  said  it  was  '*  seed-time,"  but  it  was  also  the  season  of 
"  first-fruits."  To  symbolize  the  activities  then  in  the 
course  of  development,  the  orange  tree  in  the  maturity 
of  its  power  would  best  characterize  them ;  for  all 
stages  of  spiritual  growth,  from  the  tender  leaf  to  the 
blossom,  and  from  the  blossom  to  the  full  ripe  fruit,  were 
here  in  progress.  And  because  of  this  peculiarity  of  the 
work,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  present  either  its  extent 
or  its  effectiveness.  In  the  first  half  year  I  preached 
more  than  a  hundred  times,  made  twenty-five  temperance 
addresses,  led,  on  an  average,  three  prayer-meetings  a 
week  ;  made  over  two  hundred  visits  to  families  ;  held 
religious  conversations  with  them  all,  and  bowed  in  prayer 
with  more  than  one-fourth  of  them.  I  conversed  pri- 
vately with  one  hundred  and  eighty  sailors,  and  bowed 
in  prayer  with  one-third  of  that  number  ;  supplied  them 
all  with  packages  of  books  and  other  reading  matter,  to 
take  to  sea  with  them,  and  pointed  them  to  "  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin   of  the  world." 

The  congregation  steadily  increased,  until  the  place 
became  too  strait  for  us.  The  Sabbath-school  doubled 
in  numbers.  Thirty-six  souls  were  hopefully  converted, 
and  thirty  others  went  to  sea,  expressing  anxiety  for  the 
salvation    of  their   souls.      Of  the  thirty-six    converted. 


102  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

twenty-two  were  sailors,  and  ten  youth  of  the  Sabbath- 
school.  As  Paul  spoke  affectionately  of  the  first-fruits  of 
Achaia  unto  Christ,  and  remembered  them  in  his  epistles 
to  the  churches,  surely  I  may  be  pardoned  for  counting 
some  of  the  first-fruits  unto  Christ  in  New  York.  Among 
the  first  of  these  converts  was  a  young  man  with  whom  I 
had  labored  in  New  Orleans,  in  1 84 1,. but  in  whose  soul 
the  seed  lay  dormant,  like  the  wheat  in  the  hands  of  the 
Egyptian  mummy,  waiting  only  God's  time  and  way  to 
quicken  it  into  life. 

At  the  dinner- table  of  the  Sailors'  Home,  1 90  Cherry 
street,  in  the  fall  of  1854,  a  gentleman  sat  beside  me, 
whose  countenance  I  did  not  remember  having  seen 
before,  but  who  seemed  to  have  some  recollection  of  me  ; 
for  after  gazing  at  me  intently  for  a  few  seconds,  he 
asked  :  "  Were  you  ever  in  the  ship  *  Cumberland,'  of 
Boston,  sir  ?"  I  answered,  *' Yes,  sir,  I  was  on  board  of  that 
old  craft  in  1 841,  in  New  Orleans."  "  Do  you  recollect 
me,  sir  .'"'  said  he,  his  face  glowing  with  what  to  me 
seemed  an  unexpected  pleasure.  I  was  compelled  to 
admit  that  I  did  not  recognize  the  features,  and  did  not 
remember  that  we  had  ever  met  before.  "  Well,  sir," 
said  he,  **  you  may  forget,  but  I  never  can.  No,  sir,  I 
never  can  forget  that  interview,  and  that  prayer."  He 
then  stated  the  circumstances  of  our  meeting,  hoping 
that  I  might  by  the  power  of  association  be  able  to  recall 
the  interview.  The  substance  of  his  story,  without  enter- 
ing into  minute  details,  was  simply  this  :  **  I  was  in  New 
Orleans  in  1 841,  second  mate  of  the  brig  'Cameo,'  of 
Boston,  and  having  heard  that  there  was  to  be  a  prayer- 
meeting  on  board  of  the  ship  '  Cumberland,'  I  went  up 
the  levee  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  service.     On 


AN    OLD    ACQUAINTANCE.  IO3 

the  deck  of  the  '  Cumberland, '  an  acquaintance  of  mine 
introduced  me  to  you.  You  seized  me  by  the  hand, 
warmly,  and  spoke  to  me  of  the  love  of  Christ,  urging 
me  to  come  to  him  and  obtain  the  salvation  of  my  soul 
During  the  meeting  you  were  called  upon  to  pray,  and 
it  appeared  to  me  that  I  never  did  hear  just  such  a 
prayer.  It  left  an  impression  on  my  mind  that  has  never 
been,  and  never  will  be  obliterated.  That  is  more  than 
thirteen  years  ago,  yet  that  prayer  has  haunted  me  ever 
since.  How  often  have  I  laid  in  my  berth  and  thought 
of  it,  and  wondered  where  the  man  was  who  offered  it,  and 
wished  I  could  only  see  him  once  more.  How  often  have 
I  wished  that  I  was  as  good  as  the  man  that  offered  up 
that  prayer.  And  now,  after  many  years,  I  am  permit- 
ted to  meet  you.  Can  it  be  that  you  are  the  man  that 
offered  that  prayer  ?  Well,  sir  !  I  never  expected  to  see 
you  again!  But,"  he  continued,  "you  have  forced 
ahead  some  since  then.  You  were  then  before  the  mast, 
and  I  abaft  it.  Now  you  are  a  minister  of  the  Gospel, 
and  I — what  am  I  ?  Alas  !  Well,  I  must  hear  you 
preach." 

The  Sabbath  came,  the  seamen  were  assembled,  and 
among  them  my  friend  from  New  Orleans.  He  listened 
to  the  discourse  with  rapt  attention,  and  occasionally  the 
tear  unbidden  coursed  down  his  weather- bronzed  cheeks. 
He  was  at  church  three  times  that  day.  During  the 
week  we  met  at  intervals,  and  spoke  of  the  eternal  inter- 
ests of  the  soul,  and  of  the  wonderful  Providence  which 
had  brought  us  together,  after  so  many  years  of  vicissi- 
tudes and  changes.  At  the  close  of  the  week  he  was 
unexpectedly  called  to  Boston  on  business,  and  spent  the 
Sabbath  there,  but  returned  to  New  York  the  week  fol- 


104  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

lowing.  I  met  him  in  the  street,  took  his  hand  affection- 
ately, and  spoke  feelingly  to  him  of  his  soul.  His  eyes 
filled,  and  he  said :  **  Mr.  Jones,  I  have  given  myself  to 
Christ.  I  am  his,  and  will  be,  God  helping  me,  as  long 
as  I  live."  Oh  !  how  my  heart  thrilled  with  joy,  when 
he  told  me  that  during  his  absence  from  New  York  he 
had  pubHcly  professed  Christ  before  men,  and  expressed 
his  determination  to  live  for  God.  ''  O,  sir,"  said  he, 
'*  that  prayer  haunted  me.  I  had  no  peace.  I  felt  that 
all  was  not  right.  But  when  I  heard  you  preach  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  recollecting  that  I  had  heard  from  your  lips 
a  prayer  which  penetrated  my  heart  thirteen  years  ago, 
I  could  not  but  reflect  on  the  difference  between  your 
influence  and  mine  during  the  interval.  It  occurred  to 
me  that  perhaps  you  had  been  the  means,  in  God's  hand, 
of  bringing  many  sons  into  glory,  and  that  in  all  that 
time  I  have  no  assurance  that  one  soul  has  gone  to 
heaven  through  any  influence  of  mine.  This  was  a 
painful  thought.  I  felt  that  my  time  had  been  wasted, 
squandered,  and  I  determined  that  I  would  lose  no  more. 
I  consecrated  the  remaining  portion  of  my  life  to  the 
service  of  God  and  the  good  of  men." 

There  was  a  strange  providence  in  our  meeting  at  all 
in  New  York.  He  had  come  to  this  city  some  two  or 
three  weeks  before,  and  commenced  business,  with  the 
full  purpose  of  becoming  a  permanent  resident.  He  was 
permitted  to  remain  here  long  enough  to  meet  the  man 
he  had  longed  for  thirteen  years  to  see,  and  to  hear  him 
preach,  just  one  Sabbath,  the  truths  of  the  everlasting 
gospel.  The  next  week,  in  the  providence  of  God,  a 
more  lucrative  offer  was  made  to  him  in  Boston.  He 
accepted,  and  went,  to  yield  his  influence  for  Christ  there, 


A   WORD   IN   SEASON.  10$ 

and  to  become  a  faithful  servant  in  the  vineyard  of  our 
Lord. 

From  this  simple  narrative  we  may  safely  infer  :  ist, 
The  importance  of  ''  a  word  in  season."  '^  In  the  morning 
sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thy  hand, 
for  thou  knovvest  not  which  shall  prosper,  either  this  or 
that,  or  whether  both  shall  be  alike  good  "  (Eccles.  xi.  6). 
Such  a  word  may  be  as  an  apple  of  gold  in  a  network  of 
silver.  Its  value  may  not  be  fully  estimated  until  every 
work,  with  every  secret  thing,  shall  be  revealed  in  the 
judgment.  But  we  do  know  that  "  it  shall  not  return 
void."  It  shall  accomplish  the  thing  whereunto  God 
sent  it.  2nd,  It  should  stimulate  us  to  renewed  diligence 
to  be  "  instant  in  season,  out  of  season — always  abound- 
ing in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  for  as  much  as  we  know 
that  our  labor  will  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord."  Souls 
are  perishing.  If  a  word  may  be  made  instrumental  in 
saving  one,  then,  let  us  speak  that  word.  Let  us  be 
faithful,  whether  men  will  hear  or  forbear.  The  seed  may 
fall  into  good  ground,  and  bring  forth  a  hundred  fold,  to 
the  glory  of  God.  3rd,  We  have  special  grounds  for 
encouragement  to  labor  among  seamen.  They  are  sus- 
ceptible of  kindness.  They  have  been  neglected,  and 
sometimes  feel  that  no  one  has  their  interests  at  heart. 
A  kind  word,  therefore,  concerning  the  love  of  our 
blessed  Saviour  to  them,  as  well  as  others,  may  send  a 
glow  of  hope  through  the  soul,  and  the  hand  of  affec- 
tionate sympathy,  guided  by  the  spirit  of  God,  may 
touch  a  chord  in  the  heart,  that  will  vibrate  in  harmony 
with  the  song  of  angels  and  the  redeemed  through  all 
eternity.  Finally,  it  may  serve  to  impress  on  our  minds 
the  fact  that  "  God  is  not  unrighteous  to  forget  our  labor 


I06  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

of  love."  We  may — if  we  do  our  duty  with  a  single  eye 
to  the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  souls — sow  much 
seed,  which  we  may  forget  ever  having  scattered,  but 
which  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  will  remember,  and  con- 
cerning which  he  will  doubtless  sa}-,  as  he  fills  our 
bosoms  with  the  golden  sheaves,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did 
it  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  did  it 
unto  me." 

The  following  narrative  of  a  Danish  sailor  furnishes  a 
remarkable  illustration  of  the  missionary  spirit  by  which 
sailors  are  animated  when  once  they  are  con^^erted. 
The  stamp  of  perfection  is  found  on  all  the  works  of  God, 
small  and  great.  Naturalists  tell  us  that  in  the  earliest 
geological  formations  of  organized  beings,  the  most  per- 
fect specimens  arc  found.  Science  and  revelation  are 
here  in  accord.  God  hath  made  everything  good  and  per- 
fect in  its  time.  The  lowest  form  of  animal  life,  as  seen 
in  the  protozoa,  is  as  perfect  in  its  beginning  as  is  the 
highest  form  in  man.  It  was  not  an  evolution  from  any 
pre-existent  form,  but  a  distinct  and  separate  creation. 
This  fact  in  nature  finds  an  analogy  in  the  work  of  the 
Divine  Spirit.  The  human  spirit,  created  anew  by  the 
Jehovic  energy,  comes  forth  from  his  hand  prepared  at 
once  to  enter  upon  the  work  to  which  it  is  assigned,  and 
that  work  is  as  perfect  in  its  kind  and  degree  as  though 
wrought  after  the  experience  of  ages.  The  man  w^ho  is 
in  Christ  is  a  new  creature,  and  his  work  for  Christ  is 
characterized  by  his  new  life.  What  he  does  is  the  pro- 
duct of  a  Divine  Spirit  within  him,  and  is  consequently 
as  good  and  as  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  as 
the  work  of  subsequent  experience.  One  of  the  first 
converts  of  my  ministry  in  New  York  was  Anders  Jen- 


WEEPING    SOUL.  IO7 

sen,  a  noble  soul,  whose  whole  life  was  a  standing  evi- 
dence of  the  truth  of  the  above  principles.  A  more  de- 
cided missionary  spirit  did  not  dwell  in  the  heart  of  any 
of  the  workers  of  the  apostolic  times  than  was  enshrined 
beneath  the  rough  physical  exterior  of  this  Danish  sailor, 
who  was  born  of  the  Spirit  in  the  little  room  over  the 
rum-shop  in  Market  street,  in  the  early  days  of  1855. 

At  the  close  of  one  of  our  meetings,  in  January  of  that 
year,  I  found  him  sitting  near  the  door  with  his  face  bur- 
ied in  his  hands,  weeping  bitterly.  He  was  a  heavy, 
large-formed,  stalwart  man,  thirty-eight  years  of  age, 
whose  countenance  evinced  the  energy  which  he  after- 
wards so  nobly  displayed  where  iron  nerve  was  necessary 
to  enable  him  to  do  his  Master's  work.  His  soul-jewel 
was  encased  in  a  homely  setting.  His  red,  unkempt  hair, 
his  hard-featured  face,  which  had  been  browned  by  the 
exposure  of  twenty  years  at  sea,  gave  but  the  promise  of 
the  hard  toil  he  afterwards  endured  for  his  Divine  Lord. 
There  he  sat,  weeping  convulsively,  the  burden  of  sin 
pressing  heavily  upon  him,  his  whole  frame  shaking  with 
emotion,  and  his  heart  ready  to  burst.  I  had  preached 
that  evening  from  the  words,  "  Remember  Lot's  wife." 
The  Spirit  used  them  to  send  an  arrow  of  conviction  into 
the  very  depths  of  his  heart.  I  presented  him  to  the 
Lamb  of  God,  and  prayed  with  him,  and  as  he  was  leav- 
ing, gave  him  such  directions  as  his  case  demanded.  The 
next  day  he  came  again,  and  said  he  thought  every  word 
of  the  sermon  was  meant  for  him.  I  saw  him  from  time 
to  time  for  the  next  three  days,  during  which  the  Divine 
Spirit  led  him  higher  and  higher  up  into  the  Divine  life, 
until  he  could  look  down  upon  his  soul  as  a  territory  con- 
quered for  Christ. 


I08  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

On  the  14th  of  January,  he  was  awakened,  and  on  the 
1 7th  he  came  to  my  study  a  new  man,  a  new  spirit  ani- 
mating him.  He  was  all  aglow  with  the  love  of  God, 
his  face  fairly  gleaming  with  the  love  of  his  new-born 
soul.  When  giving  an  account  of  his  change  afterwards, 
he  said,  **  I  could  not  stand  the  kindness,  it  broke  my 
heart."  As  soon  as  he  found  peace,  he  began  to  labor 
for  the  souls  of  others.  Within  a  month,  after  a  short 
coasting  voyage,  he  came  to  me,  bringing  the  mate  of 
the  vessel,  who  had  been  a  skeptic,  but  who  was  now 
bowed  down  under  a  sense  of  his  sins.  On  his  return, 
after  a  voyage  in  a  Dutch  ship,  he  came  again,  bringing 
one  of  his  shipmates,  converted  through  his  faithful  la- 
bors— an  evidence  of  his  success  in  fishing  for  men.  In  a 
letter  to  me  of  a  later  date,  he  says  : 

"Do  you  think  I  can  ever  forget  the  man  who  led  me  to 
Christ  ?  You  said,  '  Come,  shipmate,  wont  you  go  to  church  ?' 
You  afterwards  found  me  crying,  *  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?' 
and  you  directed  me  to  the  cross  of  Christ.  May  the  Lord  bless 
you,  and  all  the  friends  of  seamen." 

At  the  end  of  three  years  after  his  conversion,  he  re- 
turned to  us,  full  of  the  love  of  Christ ;  and  on  entering 
the  church,  he  wept  tears  of  joy.  During  his  absence 
in  the  East  Indies  and  China,  an  accident  happened  to 
him  in  Shanghai,  which  seemed  to  bring  out  his  true 
spirit  as  a  child  of  God,  The  story  was  told  me  by  a 
dear  brother  in  Christ,  and  I  will  record  it  in  his  own 
words.  His  letter  is  dated  Shanghai,  May  12th,  1856. 
He  says  : 

"An  incident  occurred  yesterday  that  interested  Brother  Holm, 
a  young  Christian  sailor,   and  myself,  as  I  doubt  not  it  will  you. 


A   CONSISTENT   CHRISTIAN.  I09 

In  visiting  the  ship  '  Africa, '  we  learned  that  one  of  the  hands, 
about  an  hour  previous,  had  fallen  into  the  lower  hold,  injuring 
himself  severely,  though  not  dangerously.  We  found  him  in 
his  bunk,  calm  as  a  summer's  morning.  We  made  some  in- 
quiries in  regard  to  his  mishap,  and  a  few  minutes'  conversation 
opened  the  way  to  one  of  the  most  agreeable  interviews  I  have 
been  permitted  to  enjoy  since  I  arrived  at  Shanghai.  After  he 
had  got  through  showing  his  bruises,  which  certainly  had  not 
added  much  to  his  personal  appearance,  to  say  nothing  of  their 
painfulness,  in  reply  to  a  question  which  was  asked  him  in  re- 
gard to  his  interest  in  Christ,  he  hung  down  his  head  and  wept 
like  a  child.  It  had  touched  a  tender  spot,  and  with  a  heart 
overflowing  with  joy,  he  gave  us  in  all  the  simplicity  and  beauty 
of  a  sailor's  style,  a  short  history  of  himself.  Your  name  came 
in  frequently  during  the  latter  part  of  it.  He  said,  *  I  know  he 
will  not  forget  the  distress  I  was  in  on  account  of  my  sins  ;  just 
tell  him  I  am  striving  to  make  my  way  heavenward.  Send  him 
my  heart's  love.' 

"  H3  says  he  left  New  York  in  one  of  the  steamers  that  run 
to  the  Isthmus.  During  the  early  part  of  last  year  the  cholera 
broke  out  on  the  passage,  and  all  who  took  the  disease,  of  which 
there  was  a  large  number,  died  with  it,  with  the  exception  of 
himself.  On  his  arrival  in  California  he  went  to  the  mines, 
but  left  them,  on  account  of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country, 
and  shipped  in  a  French  vessel  for  Hong-Kong,  and  thence  to 
Shanghai,  in  the  ship  he  was  then  in.  The  occasion  of  his  fall- 
ing, he  said,  was  thus.  He  had  just  v/aked  up,  and  was  going  down 
into  the  between-decks,  in  order  to  have  a  litde  season  of  prayer, 
when  his  foot  slipped,  and  he  fell  head-foremost  into  the  lower 
hold,  among  the  stone  ballast.  It  is  a  wonder  that  his  brains 
were  not  dashed  out ;  and  yet  it  is  not  a  wonder  when  we  re- 
member that  God  has  a  special  care  of  His  children,  and  not  a 
sparrow  can  fall  without  his  notice." 

The  same  brother  writes  the  year  following,  March 
7th,  1857.     While   busy    with    my    daily    work,    a   few 


no  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

mornings  since,  two  sailors  came  to  my  office.  One  of 
them  handed  me  a  letter,  which  he  said  was  from  a 
shipmate.     It  read  as  follows : 

Amoy,  January  20,  i^S?- 
"  My  dear  friend  and  brother  in  Christ — I  promised  to  write 
you  as  soon  as  I  had  an  opportunity,  but  I  hope  you  will  excuse 
me,  as  I  never  wrote  a  letter  in  English.  I  was  very  sick  when 
I  saw  you  last,  having  fallen  into  the  ship's  hold  and  broken  my 
head.  I  was  happy  to  think  that  there  were  a  few  in  Shanghai 
who  feared  the  Lord.  We  went  to  sea  the  next  day  I  am 
under  great  obligations  to  you  for  the  books  and  tracts  you  sent. 
I  have  sent  many  of  the  books  afloat  in  different  ships  to  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  world.  Some  of  the  men  on  board  the  '  Africa ' 
have  gone  to  their  long  home.  There  were  some  who  feared 
the  Lord.  Only  one  shipped  in  the  same  vessel,  and  he  is  dead. 
He  and  I  had  sailed  a  long  time  together.  He  was  a  young  man. 
He  died  in  the  hospital  at  Amoy,  with  the  Bible  you  gave  me 
under  his  head.  He  had  long  despised  that  precious  book,  but 
he  found  forgiveness  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  In  Hong-Kong  I 
shipped  on  board  a  Holland  ship.  I  trust  I  have  been  enabled 
to  do  some  good  in  this  ship  with  the  books  and  tracts  you  sent 
me. 

"By  my  example  many  of  the  last  crew  went  on  shore  at 
Hong-Kong  teetotalers  ;  they  would  not  drink  any  kind  of  liquors, 
and  four  of  them  were  seeking  religion.  To  hear  such  ungodly 
men  as  they  were  singing  the  songs  of  Zion  on  board  a  ship,  did 
my  heart  good,  and  I  rejoice,  and  am  glad  to  think  that  I 
should  be  the  humble  instrument  in  God's  hands  of  scattering 
the  news  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  even 
such  as  are  in  a  ship's  forecastle.  It  would  do  your  heart  good 
to  hear  those  lips,  that  once  blasphemed,  now  sing  and  pray  to 
God." 

On  board  every  vessel  in  which  he  sailed,  the  captain, 


A    CONSISTENT   CHRISTIAN.  Ill 

mates,  and  crew,  all  unite  in  testifying  to  his  consistent 
and  beautiful  Christian  life. 

The  meekness  and  boldness  of  this  simple-minded  man 
of  the  sea  was  something  to  be  admired.  He  was  gentle 
as  a  child,  but  when  true  heroism  was  demanded  for  the 
work  of  the  Lord  and  the  love  of  man,  he  was  always 
equal  to  the  emergency.  An  incident  will  illustrate  this 
trait  of  his  character.     It  was  in  1857  ^^^  had  written  : 

"  We  are  having  great  trials,  and  much  to  battle  with,  if  we 
would  live  for  Christ  in  the  forecastle.  We  have  sometimes  both 
officers  and  men  making  game  of  us.     Poor  men  !    I  pity  them. " 

He  then  adds  : 

**0n  th3  last  vessel  in  which  I  shipped,  before  signing  articles, 
I  showed  the  captain  my  certificate  of  church  membership,  and 
said  to  him  :  '  Captain,  I  am  a  Christian.  I  know  my  work  and 
intend  to  do  it ;  but  I  will  not  be  cursed  and  damned  about  the 
decks.  If  you  think  you  can  get  along  with  me  on  those  con- 
ditions I  will  go  ;  if  not,  say  so,  and  I  will  not  sign  the  articles. ' 
The  captain  replied  :  '  It  is  very  good.  I  am  satisfied. '  He  was 
a  good  moral  man,  and  we  made  the  voyage  together.  The 
mate  was  a  professor  of  religion.  I  found  him  out  at  sea,  and 
said  to  him  :  '  There  are  two  of  us  now,  one  on  each  end  of  her. 
Let  us  pray  mightily  to  God  and  see  if  we  cannot  have  prayers  on 
board  ; '  but  he  said,  '  The  captain  is  not  a  professor. '  '  W^ll, ' 
said  I,   '  let  us  go  into  the  forecastle  ; '  and  we  did. 

"The  first  Sunday  out  we  had  prayers  there,  and  all  hands 
were  present,  except  the  man  at  the  wheel.  Blessed  be  God  for 
His  mercies.  There  was  not  much  swearing  on  board  that  ship, 
the  crew  were  good  moral  men.  I  am  sorry  to  say  we  did  not 
have  public  prayers  on  our  passage  home.  It  was  difficult  to 
find  a  quiet  place,  but  the  Lord  blessed  us  nevertheless. " 

After  voyaging  to  San   Francisco  and   different  ports 


112  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

in  the  East,  he  returned.  The  evidence  of  his  Christian 
faithfulness  is  abundant ;  a  volume  of  excellent  reading 
might  be  made  from  his  letters.  In  these  may  be  found 
accounts  of  revivals  which  followed  him  wherever  he  went. 
In  1858  a  captain  with  whom  he  sailed,  thus  writes  of 
him  :  ''  Anders  Jensen,  a  seaman,  has  been  abundantly- 
blessed  of  God  in  his  influence  in  the  forecastle.  His 
modesty  will  not  allow  him  to  tell  what  he  has  seen  of  the 
results  of  his  labors,  therefore  we  must  wait  until  that 
day  when  every  secret  thing  shall  be  revealed,  for  only 
then  shall  we  know  the  influence  he  has  exerted." 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1859  I  received  a  letter  from 
him.  He  had  just  returned  from  Liverpool.  In  it  he 
says  :  "  I  had  to  do  battle  all  the  passage  from  Liverpool 
v/ith  the  crew.  I  tried  to  keep  them  in  brotherly  love, 
and  without  disputes.  The  captain  is  a  Methodist,  I  think. 
I  never  asked  him.  Why  should  I  ?  We  loved  each 
other,  and  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  go  with  him  again."  In 
the  year  1861  he  went  home  to  Denmark,  and  from  Co- 
penhagen, in  January,  he  wrote  me  : 

' '  Jlfv  Dear  Friend  and  Pastor  in  Christ — It  is  a  long  time 
since  I  wrote  you.  It  is  not  because  I  do  not  think  of  you. 
You,  of  course,  know  that  we  cannot  cease  to  think  of  our  bene- 
factors, especially  of  our  brethren  in  Christ,  called  before  us,  and 
^  i  ide  the  instruments  in  God's  hands  of  leading  us  to  Christ. 
But  I  am  afraid  you  have  been  an  idol  in  my  heart.  For  a  long 
time  I  could  hear  none  that  could  preach  or  pray  like  you.  I 
searched  for  nearly  three  years,  and  at  last  paid  my  passage  from 
Liverpool  to  New  York  to  find  out  what  you  called  your  church. 
I  was  like  a  little  child  then,  and  I  desire  to  be  nothing  else  now. 
I  can  say,  truly,  the  Lord  has  led  mc  by  a  way  I  knew  not,  but 
He  will  not  give  his  glory  to  another,  I  feel  to  say.  '  Bless  the  Lord. 
O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  HLs  holy  name. '   It  is 


SERVING    IN    THE   NAVY.  II3 

a  wonder  that  He  should  permit  such  a  one  as  me  to  work  in 
His  vineyard.  But  what  cannot  the  Lord  do  ?  I  am  now  in 
the  country  in  which  I  was  born,  laboring  to  win  souls  to  Christ. 
It  is  a  delightful  work,  when  it  is  of  the  Lord,  although  it  is  a 
heavy  cross  when  alone.  Yet,  thanks  be  unto  the  Lord  Jesus, 
he  says,  '  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  ; ' 
and  in  the  end  the  promise  is  sure.  I  find  Him  always  willing 
and  ready  to  help  m.2,  and  to  lift  me  up  when  I  fall.  I  go  about 
selling  Bibles,  or  rather  tr}'ing  to  sell,  for  the  people  are  not  buy- 
ing many.  I  distribute  tracts,  and  can  use  all  the  tracts  and 
little  books  that  I  can  get,  for  the  people  receive  them  kindly. 
The  rich  will  not,  and  the  poor  cannot,  purchase  for  the  want  of 
money ;  however,  I  manage  to  sell  some  of  them.  I  am  to 
remain  six  months  from  the  time  I  came  to  Hamburg.  I  do  not 
know  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  sell  all  the  books  in  that  time, 
but  I  am  sure  if  I  have  my  health  I  can  give  away  many  more 
tracts  if  I  can  get  them,  and  that  would  be  doing  a  great  deal  of 
good  among  my  seafaring  countrymen.  I  labor,  also,  out  on 
the  country  roads.  I  expect,  in  a  few  days,  to  take  a  tramp  into 
the  interior  with  Brother  Ryding.  I  hope  the  Lord  will  go  with 
us.  I  find  it  very  difficult  to  speak  my  own  language.  Give  my 
kind  love  to  INIrs.  Jones  and  the  children.  I  need  your  prayers 
very  much.      God  bless  you,  for  Jesus'  sake." 

Since  he  wrote  the  above,  I  have  been  enabled  to  trace 
the  footsteps  of  this  devoted  herald  of  the  Cross.  The  mis- 
sion of  six  months  to  his  native  land  having  been  accom- 
pHshed,  with  what  success  in  the  ingathering  of  souls  the 
judgment  alone  will  reveal,  he  returned  with  all  the  long- 
ing of  a  child  for  his  home,  to  the  birth-place  of  his  soul. 
During  his  absence  in  Copenhagen,  our  fearful  Rebellion 
had  raised  its  hydra-head.  As  soon  therefore  as  he 
reached  the  United  States,  he  threw  himself  with  all  the 
axdor  of  his  nature  into  the  perils  of  the  war  for  the 
8 


114  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

defence  of  his  adopted  country.  Having  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  Navy,  we  find  him  in  1 861-2  on  board  the 
ship  Shepherd  Knapp,  belonging  to  the  South  Atlantic 
squadron.  In  a  letter  dated  May  30,  1862,  from  that 
vessel,  he  says  : 

''Accept  my  grateful  thanks.  I  have  received  your  letter, 
and,  I  assure  you,  it  cheered  my  downcast  soul.  As  I  read  it,  I 
cried,  '  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me 
bless  His  holy  name  ; '  for  he,  it  was,  who  inclined  you  to  write 
to  me.  I  am  glad  that  I  am  not  forgotten  in  your  prayers. 
Jesus  will  bless  those  who  pray  for  his  afflicted  children.  His  is 
an  everlasting  love. 

''  At  the  beginning  of  the  cruise,  we  had  frequent  prayer-meet- 
ings, but  they  have  now  virtually  ceased.  As  I  am  yeoman  of 
the  ship,  I  enjoy  a  privacy  in  prayer,  and  therefore  I  hold  my 
meetings  alone.  Yet  I  am  not  alone,  for  the  Lord  is  with  me. 
Eternal  thanks  and  praise  be  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
gave  himself  for  me.  I  thank  you  for  your  adxice  concerning 
the  reading  of  the  scriptures.  I  read  several  chapters  daily.  I 
trust  the  Lord  is  instructing  me  for  some  good  purpose.  I 
handed  your  letter  to  the  captain  to  read,  and  will  read  it  to  my 
shipmates  as  the  Lord  shall  direct.  Our  captain  is  a  noble  and 
kind-hearted  soul.  I  hope  the  Lord  will  bless  anJ  reward  him 
for  his  k.ndness  to  me  and  to  us  all.  I  hope  we  shall  meet  him 
in  heaven.  I  am  longing  to  do  something  for  the  Lord.  I  gave 
your  letter  to  Heggars  to  read.  He  is  a  well-disposed  and  good 
young  man.'' 

Not  long  after  the  date  of  this  lette*",  the  Shepherd 
Knapp  was  lost,  and  the  crew  transferred  to  other  vessels. 
Jensen  and  his  friend  Heggars  were  drafted  to  the  brig 
Bainbridge,  commanded  by  Acting- Master  Thomas  J. 
Dwyer,  whose  autobiography  will  be  found  in  connection 
with  the  record   of  the  African  Squadron.      As   a  sad 


ALL   HANDS    LOST.  II5 

close  to  the  history  of  these  devoted  men,  it  becomes  my 
painful  duty  to  state  that  a  short  time  after,  while  the 
Bainbridge  was  on  her  way  to  join  the  blockading  squad- 
ron, she  went  down  in  a  storm  off  Cape  Hatteras  with  all 
on  board.  Sudden  death  to  these  godly  men  thus 
became  sudaen  glory. 

FRED.    STARR. 

Free  from  the  law,  O  happy  condition  ! 
Jesus  has  died — and  there  is  remission. 

"  The  steps  of  a  good  man  are  ordered  by  the  Lord, 
and  he  delighteth  in  his  way."  It  is  a  blessed  privilege 
therefore  to  trace  the  steps  of  such  a  man,  to  mark  the 
way  in  whioli  Jehovah  leads  him.  I  have  sketches  of 
many  such  men  ;  but  among  them  all,  few,  if  any,  will 
more  redound  to  the  declarative  glory  of  our  Redeemer 
than  will  the  life  and  labors  of  this  young  Swedish 
mariner. 

Fred,  w^as  awakened  in  New  York  in  the  fall  of  1855. 
While  under  deep  conviction,  he  shipped  in  a  brig  bound 
to  Aspinwall.  His  Bible  became  his  constant  companion 
and  only  solace.  From  it  he  drew,  to  assuage  his  soul- 
thirst,  water  from  the  wells  of  salvation.  In  his  own 
account  of  that  trying  passage,  during  which  the  burden 
of  sin  lay  heavily  upon  him,  he  says : 

"  We  encountered  a  severe  gale  as  we  entered  the  Gulf  Stream  ; 
but  that  was  nothing  to  the  storm  that  raged  within,  when  the 
Lord  revealed  to  me,  '  Thou  art  the  man, '  who  hast  broken  the 
commandments  of  God.  I  was  studying  my  Bible  in  my  watch 
below,  but  no  peace  could  I  find.  I  sav/  only  my  sins.  The 
terror  of  the  Lord  was  upon  mc  the  whole  passage.      I  had  no 


Il6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

rest.  The  crew  were  all  godless  men.  They  could  not  help 
me.  There  were  fears  without  and  doubts  within.  What  could 
I  do?  I  gave  myself  to  prayer  as  well  as  I  could.  Nine  days  of 
agony  passed  before  we  reached  Aspinwall.  We  arrived  on  Sat- 
urday. On  Sunday  I  went  ashore,  and  strolled  off  by  myself  on 
the  beach.  There  I  kneeled  down  and  poured  Qat  my  soul  to 
God.  He  heard  my  cry  and  saved  me.  I  experienced  such  a 
sweet  peace  in  my  soul  as  I  had  never  known  before.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  the  earth  was  changed  to  the  very  heavens.  Every- 
thing about  me  was  lovely.  God  gave  me,  at  that  time,  grace  to 
believe  on  Jesus  as  my  personal  Saviour,  and  that  I  was  free. 
After  four  days  we  left  Aspinwall  and  returned  to  New  York. 
Here  I  first  met  Brother  Byrne,  and  became  much  attached  to 
him.     He  was  made  a  very  great  blessing  to  me. " 

In  January,  1856,  he  shipped  for  San  Francisco,  and, 
arriving  there  after  a  passage  of  four  months,  he  shipped  in 
the  Revenue  Cutter  ''Joseph  Lane."  On  board  this  vessel, 
amid  persecution  and  opposition,  he  strove  to  draw  others 
to  Christ.  He  found  however  that  Satan's  seat  was  in 
the  cabin  as  well  as  in  the  forecastle ;  in  the  cutter,  as 
well  as  in  the  merchant-ship.  He  was  nevertheless 
faithful  to  him  v/ho  had  called  him  "out  of  darkness  into 
his  marvellous  light ;"  and  after  twenty-two  months  was 
rev/arded  by  the  conversion  of  several  of  his  shipmates. 

Nearly   three  years  after  he  shipped   in   the  brig   in' 
which  he  was  born  again,  I   received  from   San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  the  following,  written  by  a  dear  brother, 
now  in  heaven  : 

**Fred.  Starr  left  here  to-day,  after  serving  the  Lord  for 
twenty-two  months  in  the  Revenue  service.  He  was  the  instru- 
ment, in  the  hand  of  God,  of  the  conversion  of  several  of  his 
shipmates,  who  are  now  at  the  Sailors'  Home.  I  heard  their 
experience.     They  gave  evidence  that  they  had  '  been  with  Jesus, 


GRACE   TO   BELIEVE.  II7 

and  had  learned  of  Him.'  How  many  more  will  be  brought  to 
God,  through  his  influence,  eternity  alone  will  determine.  Fred, 
is  no  great  speaker,  but  he  lives  before  his  shipmates  in  such  a 
way  that  his  life  speaks  for  Christ,  though  he  opens  not  his 
mouth.  Yet  he  is  in  no  way  backward  to  reprove  sin,  whenever 
it  is  necessary^,  in  an  humble  and  telling  way.  Persecutions 
neither  daunt  nor  affright  him.  His  shipmates,  though  at  first 
they  persecuted  him,  at  length  came  to  acknowledge  that  they 
were  wrong,  and  that  Fred,  was  right.     Hence  their  change. " 

Some   weeks   after  the  above   was   written,   a   sailor 
came  to  my  house  in   New  York,  and   introduced   him- 
self as  one  of  the  crew  of  the  Joseph   Lane,  who   had 
been  converted  on  board  that  vessel,  through  the  influence 
and  labors  of  Fred.  Starr.    He  was  a  Swede.     He  express  - 
ed  a  desire  to  unite  with  our  Mariners'  church,  prepara- 
tory to  his  return  to  his  native  land  to  preach  Christ  to  his 
countrymen  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world.      Having  joined 
our  church,  he  sailed  for  his   Sw^edish  home.     Still   later, 
another  sailor,  a  Norwegian,  came  from  the  same  vessel, 
with  a  similar  story  of  his  conversion  through  the  labors 
of  Fred.  Starr.      He  joined   our  church  on  a  confession 
of  his   faith   in  Christ,  and   went  to  Norway  to  tell  his 
friends  of  the  new  light  which  had  dawned  upon  his  soul. 
In  a  few  weeks  after  he  had  sailed,  still  another  sailor, 
a  Dane,  came  from  the  Pacific  coast.      He,  too,  told  me 
how  Fred.  Starr  had  been  the  means  of  his  conversion. 
"  Now,"  said  he,  "  I  am  going  home  to  Denmark,  to  tell 
my  people  what  God  has  done  for  my  soul.     O,  this  is  a 
different  religion  to  v/hat  they  have  there.     I  want  to  go 
and  tell  them  about  Jesus  Christ."     He  soon  after  sailed 
for  Denmark,  to  preach,  in  his  humble  way,  the  Gospel 
of  our  Lord. 


Il8  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

After  leaving  the  *'  Joseph  Lane,"  Fred,  coasted  along 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific  for  a  season,  still  serving  the  Lord 
with  cheerfulness,  and  enduring  opposition  with  patience, 
until  i860,  when  he  made  a  visit  to  his  home  in  Sweden, 
to  tell  his  own  people  of  his  blessed  change.  In  i  861  he 
returned  to  the  United  States,  and  entered  the  Navy,  to 
fight  for  the  defence  of  the  Union. 

On  board  of  the  United  States  steamer  "  Lancaster,"  in 
the  Pacific  squadron,  he  labored  faithfully  for  Christ,  for 
three  years,  and  in  connection  with  another  of  my  corres- 
pondents, did  good  service  for  the  Master,  until  over 
twenty  of  the  crew  were  converted.  During  that  cruise 
the  weekly  prayer-meeting  was  established  and  kept  up 
among  the  crew,  the  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stock- 
bridge,  and  Lieut.  Riel  countenancing  the  work  and  ren- 
dering efficient  aid.  Writing  of  the  prayer- meeting,  in 
November,  1862,  Fred,  says:  "The  meeting  was  started 
about  a  year  ago,  and  has  increased  in  numbers  until 
about  twenty  take  active  part ;  and  it  is  our  most  ardent 
desire,  that  the  whole  ship's  company  may  become  en- 
gaged in  the   blessed  work.     I    saw   Brother  T in 

,San  Francisco.  He  has  been  to  Puget  Sound,  and  has 
had  a  blessed  revival  on  board  all  the  way  up."  In 
September,  1880,  I  received  a  Hne  from  our  brother, 
who  is  now  in  command  of  a  life-saving  station  in  Hum- 
boldt Bay,  California,  in  which  he  says,  **  I  am  still  in 
the  service  of  the  Master.  In  all  these  twenty-five  years, 
God  has  been  my  helper.  Every  day  will  I  bless  and 
praise  his  holy  name.     I  will  praise  him  forever  and  ever." 

As  a  fitting  sequel  to  the  above,  it  may  be  stated  that 
the  three  brethren  referred  to,  were  by  no  means  desti- 
tute  of  zeal,   nor  were   their  labors  barren   of  results. 


CONVERTS.  119 

The  brother  who  went  to  Denmark  spent  a  year  there  in 
tract  and  Bible  distribution,  and  in  other  missionary- 
work,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and 
as  a  Christian  sailor  in  the  forecastle,  went  from  ship  to 
ship,  doing  his  best  for  the  conversion  of  his  shipmates. 
He  wrote  me  of  one  vessel  which  arrived  in  San  Fran- 
cisco with  ten  converted  sailors  in  the  forecastle,  seven 
of  whom  had  been  converted  on  the  passage  out,  through 
the  faithfulness  of  the  other  three.  In  another  vessel,  he 
wrote  to  me  :  "  There  are  five  of  us  who  are  trying  to 
serve  God.  One  of  these,  a  young  man  of  twenty -one, 
converted  through  his  influence,  joined  the  Baptist 
church,  and  intended  to  study  for  the  ministry."  In 
1 86 1  this  dear  brother  returned  again  to  his  missionary 
work  in  Denmark,  where  he  married.  In  1863  he  was 
called  to  "a purer  world  and  a  brighter  day,"  and 
departed  for  his  heavenly  home  in  the  full  triumph  of 
**  the  faith  once  dehvered  to  the  saints." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

A   WORD   IN    SEASON — THE   YOUNG   HERETIC. 

A  word  in  season — Parents'  intentions — Columbia  College — Dissipation — 
A  whaling  voyage — Sick  among  strangers — Not  fit  to  live — Prayer  for 
mercy — John  iii.  i6— In  despair — Song  of  praise — The  young  heretic — 
Prayer  on  a  raft — Kneels  only  to  God — Ship  fever— Sent  to  an  academy 
— Study  arrested — Father  converted — Missionary  labor — Young  Jesuit — 
Better  a  heretic  than  a  Jesuit — Long  silence — Correspondence  re-opeued 
— A  joyful  hope — Sunk  off  Tybee  Island — Battle  of  Bull  Run — Wounded 
— New  South  Wales — Married — Severe  affliction — Return  to  France — 
Employed  as  interpreter — A  sailor's  gratitude — In  seventeen  battles — 
Married  again — Vitality  of  the  good  seed— Emigrates — Work  in  New 
Caledonia— Jesuits  ejected— Still  working. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1855,  a  pleasant  interview  occur- 
red at  the  Sailors'  Home.  On  the  porch  was  a  young 
man  whom  I  recognized  as  having  been  a  boarder  while 
I  was  there,  some  two  months  before.  I  asked  him  : 
"  Where  from  ?  Where  bound  ?"  In  the  course  of  con- 
versation I  remarked,  "  I  wish  you  to  remember,  in  all 
your  voyages,  that  the  last  voyage  will  come.  You 
must  keep  a  bright  lookout.  There  is  a  weather  and  a 
lee  shore  at  hand,  which  ever  you  prefer  you  will  make. 
You  must  look  to  the  Saviour."  He  gazed  at  me  with 
an  expression  of  deep  reverence,  and  said  :  "  I  think  I 
am  looking  to  the  Saviour,  sir."  My  interest  was  imme- 
120 


A   WORD    IN   SEASON.  121 

diately  increased,  and  I  replied  :  ''  Well,  I  am  pleased 
to  hear  that."  '*  Yes,  sir,"  said  he,  "  and  it  arose  from  a 
word  spoken  by  you,  sir,  seme  two  months  ago."  He 
then  gave  me  an  account  of  the  means  by  which  the 
change  was  brought  about  I  spent  the  forenoon  of  the 
next  day  with  him  in  my  study,  and  on  leaving  he 
promised  to  write  me  an  account  of  his  life.  In  a  few 
days  I  received  a  letter,  in  which  he  says  : 

"In  accordance  with  my  promise,  I  have  written  the  inclosed, 
in  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  of  some  interest  to  yourself,  and 
give  additional  encouragement  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the 
salvation  of  seamen.  I  feel  assured  that  my  letter  will  give  you 
joy,  as  it  shows  that  one  more  immortal  spirit  has  turned  to  God, 
through  your  instrumentality ;  that  the  simple  and  casual 
remarks  so  quietly  made  were  followed  by  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  causing  a  deep  conviction  of  sin,  then  repentance, 
and  finally  faith  and  hope  in  Christ.  Some  of  the  circumstances 
attending  the  change  which  has  occurred,  through  the  mercy  of 
God,  have  already  been  stated  ;  but  to  show  how  great  has  been 
the  mercy  extended,  I  will  give  you  an  outline  of  my  career  until 
the  present  time. 

*' In  early  life  the  advantages  of  an  education  were  afforded 
me  by  a  pious  father,  whose  intention  it  was  to  educate  a  son  for 
the  ministry.  A  kind,  loving  mother  and  affectionate  brothers 
and  sisters  were  ready  to  assist  me  to  the  extent  of  their  ability ; 
but  unfortunately,  as  it  afterwards  proved,  at  my  own  solicitation 
I  was  sent  from  home  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  entered  an. 
academy,  located  in  a  village  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 
Previous  to  my  departure  resolutions  had  been  formed,  promises 
given,  and  my  parents  had  prepared  a  series  of  written  rules  for 
my  guidance  while  absent.  Although  residing  with  relatives, 
scarcely  two  months  had  passed  ere  I  had  entered  upon  a  down- 
ward course.  By  degrees  objectionable  associations  were  formed, 
and   habits  of  smoking,   chewing   and    drinking.      My   parents 


122  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

being  informed  of  my  evil  course,  instantly  recalled  me,  and 
while  they  wept  over  my  early  fall,  forgave  my  transgressions.  I 
was  then  placed  in  the  Columbia  College  Grammar  Institute,  and 
for  a  short  time  made  rapid  progress  ;  but  I  soon  formed  improper 
friendships,  became  weary  of  the  restraints  of  the  school-room,  and 
longed  to  become  a  merchant.  My  wishes  were  gratified,  and  I 
was  placed  in  a  country  store  as  junior  clerk  ;  but  soon  becom- 
ing dissatisfied,  and  having  yielded  to  temptation,  I  was  again 
recalled. 

"It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  my  course  was  still  downward. 
My  parents  forgave  me  again  and  again,  and  procured  excellent 
situations  for  me,  but  all  promises  were  broken  as  soon  as  I  was 
from  under  the  watchful  eye  of  my  father,  and  my  career  was 
marked  by  dissipation.  By  my  disobedience  and  ingratitude, 
my  parents  at  length  lost  confidence  in  me.  My  father's  hair 
had  grown  white  with  sorrow,  my  mother's  heart  was  bowed 
down  with  grief,  and  the  affection  of  brothers  and  sisters  began 
to  w^ane.  In  the  month  of  September,  1849,  ^  was  placed  on 
board  a  whaling  ship,  bound  on  a  cruise  in  the  Arctic  Ocean,  in 
hopes  that  it  would  be  the  means  of  correcting  my  evil  habits. 

"We  had  a  prosperous  voyage,  and  arrived  home  again,  after 
an  absence  of  nineteen  months.  As  my  outfit  had  been  given 
me,  there  were  two  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars  in  my  locker 
when  we  were  paid  off.  But  this  was  soon  disposed  of,  sailor- 
fashion,  and  I  once  more  shipped  in  a  whaler.  The  second 
voyage  was  not  successful.  We  passed  through  many  dangers: 
and  much  hardship,  and  long  before  it  was  ended  I  was  dis- 
charged into  a  hospital  at  Tahiti.  There,  in  sickness,  thousands 
of  miles  from  home,  amid  strangers,  I  thought  of  those  I  loved, 
although  I  had  wronged  them,  and  a  resolution  was  made  to 
lead  an  upright  life,  should  I  ever  be  enabled  to  reach  New  York. 
Through  the  mercy  of  God  I  was  once  more  allowed  to  clasp  the 
hands  of  my  relatives  and  friends,  and  receive  a  welcome  of  which 
}  was  undeserving. 

"  All  this  time  I  was  living  in  violation  of  God's  law.     The 


"QUENCH    NOT   THE    SPIRIT.'*  1 23 

name  of  God  was  only  uttered  to  curse,  while  religion  was  scoffed 
at  and  made  a  means  of  sport.  As  soon  as  my  health  was 
restored,  I  again  became  a  clerk,  and  received  a  fair  salary.  I 
went  smoothly  for  a  few  months,  but  temptation  came,  and  I  had 
not  the  strength  to  resist.  I  did  not  give  way  entirely  to  dissipa- 
tion, but  would  be  steady  at  times  ;  and  as  a  new  influence  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  my  life,  it  was  hoped  that  an  entire  and 
permanent  change  would  take  place.  Suddenly  an  accident 
occurred  which  brought  me  upon  a  bed  of  pain  for  weary 
months,  and  it  was  believed  to  be  one  of  the  consequences 
attending  a  life  of  dissipation.  I\Iy  life  had  been  spared,  as  it 
were,  by  a  miracle,  yet  my  heart  gave  no  thanks  to  God,  whose 
mercy  permitted  me  to  live.  This  dispensation,  instead  of 
awakening  me  to  a  sense  of  my  lost  condition,  seemed  to  make 
me  more  careless  and  indifferent.  Again  I  disgraced  my  rela- 
tives and  friends,  and  as  my  conduct  had  estranged  me  from 
them  all,  I  left  home  in  anger,  determined  never  again  to  cross 
the  threshold  until  I  had  become  a  better  man. 

''  I  had  outraged  all  propriety,  trampled  on  every  holy  feeling, 
caused  my  parents  days  and  nights  of  sleepless  agony,  defied  God 
and  man.  I  was  not  fit  to  live,  and  I  cannot  conceive  how  my 
hfe  could  have  15een  spared  by  that  infinite  Being  whom  I  had 
reviled,  blasphemed  and  hated.  The  next  day  after  my  arrival 
at  the  Sailors'  home,  by  the  persuasions  of  a  friend,  I  was 
induced  to  sign  the  pledge,  and  resolved  to  keep  it. 

"One  evening,  while  seated  at  a  table  in  the  reading-room, 
conversing  with  some  seamen,  lately  returned  from  various  voy- 
ages, an  invitation  was  given  to  attend  the  house  of  prayer.  I 
accepted,  through  motives  of  curiosity.  While  listening  care- 
lessly and  indifferently  to  the  words  of  Divine  truth,  the  express- 
ion, '  Quench  not  the  spirit, '  attracted  my  attention .  The  words 
and  remarks  following  them  became  deeply  engraven  upon  my 
mind,  and  I  could  not  forget  them.  The  next  day  I  sailed  for 
Baltimore  ;  and  during  my  absence,  often  thought  about  a  fu- 
ture existence,   although  endeavoring   to   shake  off  the  feeling. 


124  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

Upon  my  return  to  New  York,  after  an  absence  of  a  month,  I 
avoided  the  house  of  God,  for  I  wished  to  rid  my  mind  of  all 
thought  upon  the  subject  of  religion.  Still  these  words, '  Quench 
not  the  spirit, '  were  ringing  in  my  ears,  and  I  could  not  drive 
them  away. 

' '  About  one  week  previous  to  my  departure  for  the  West  In- 
dies, while  conversing  with  one  of  my  companions  at  the  Home, 
I  was  invited  to  attend  church,  but  replied,  '  Not  to-night ;  to- 
morrow— by-and-by.'  Y^ou  then  remarked,  'Now  is  the  time — 
to-morrow  may  never  be  yours,  my  friend.'  Those  words  fell 
on  my  heart  with  so  much  force,  that  I  began  to  think  deeply  : 
*  To-morrow  may  not  be  mine.  Then  if  the  voyage  of  life 
should  end  this  night,  where,  where  would  it  commence  again  ? ' 
During  the  whole  week  after  this,  my  mind  was  greatly  depressed 
in  view  of  the  judgment  certain  to  overtake  my  soul.  But  I 
could  not  pray — I  did  not  dare  to  pray  Our  voyage  had  com- 
menced. I  had  left  the  Home  without  informing  any  one  of 
my  stat3  of  mind,  for  I  hoped  the  feeling  would  prove  transitory. 
The  first  day  passed  by,  and  while  cleaning  up  the  decks 
my  mind  was  diverted  from  its  serious  thoughts  ;  but  when 
all  became  quiet,  and  the  shades  of  night  began  to  steal  o/er 
us,  the  impression  came  back  with  ten-fold  iovcQ.  My  mental 
distress  was  so  great  that  I  fell  upon  my  knees,  and  prayed  for 
mercy,  until  called  to  take  my  turn  at  the  helm.  As  soon  as 
our  watch  was  relieved,  I  hastened  below  to  read  my  Bible,  a 
Bible  that  had  been  my  companion  for  eleven  years,  but  al- 
ways remained  at  the  bottom  of  my  chest,  bag  or  trunk. 

"  As  I  opened  the  sacred  pages,  my  eyes  fell  upon  the  words 
in  John  iii.  1 6  :  '  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  per- 
ish, but  have  everlasting  life. '  While  pondering  over  the  infinite 
love  of  the  Creator  and  Redeemer,  a  sense  of  quiet  filled  my  soul. 
The  fear  of  judgment  was  lost  in  the  thought  of  ingratitude  to 
him  who  had  experienced  the  agonies  of  the  cross  and  died  for 
my   sake.     As  I  continued  to    read,  my  heart  sank  lower  and 


A    CONVERT.  125 

lower.  It  could  not  be  that  such  love  had  been  manifested  for 
me.  No,  no  ;  I  had  so  long  slighted  the  advantages  and  blesn- 
ings  which  had  clustered  around  my  pathway  in  life  from  in- 
fancy, so  long  disregarded  the  precepts^  entreaties,  and  promises 
revealed  in  God's  word,  so  long  denied  my  Saviour  and  defied 
my  Creator,  that  it  could  not  be  possible  he  died  for  me.  No, 
no  !  I  had  broken  all  laws  and  sinned  beyond  forgiveness  ; 
never  could  I  receive  pardon. 

' '  Day  after  day  passed  in  this  manner,  and  my  agony  of  mind 
was  too  great  to  admit  of  sleep.  My  Bible  was  my  constant 
companion,  but  eveiy  verse  seemed  to  condemn  me.  I  felt  my- 
self lost  forever — the  Saviour  could  not  forgive.  Two  weeks  pass- 
ed away  in  this  manner,  and  my  mind  was  still  bowed  down  un- 
der a  heavy  conviction  of  my  great  sin.  While  pacing  the  deck 
one  night,  the  dark  heavy  clouds  obscured  the  sky  like  a  gloomy 
pall.  It  was  like  my  heart ;  darkness  overspread  all,  and  thers 
was  not  a  ray  of  light  to  shine  through  the  gloom.  No  hope  ! 
No  hope  !  I  was  in  despair.  Suddenly  I  recollected  that  the 
blessed  Saviour  forgave  even  those  who  slew  him,  and  my  heart 
leaped  for  joy,  for  there  was  hope  that  even  my  sins  could  be  for- 
given. I  fell  upon  my  knees  by  the  windlass  and  implored  for- 
giveness for  the  Redeemer's  sake.  I  felt  that  I  was  a  lost, 
guilty  wretch,  unfit  to  live ;  but  Christ  the  Redeemer  had  given 
himself  a  ransom  for  me,  and  I  had  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  his 
blood  to  cleanse  my  soul  from  sin.  I  gave  myself  wholly  to  God. 
?My  supplications  for  mercy  and  forgiveness  were  changed  to  a 
Fjng  of  praise  and  joy.  My  Bible  now  possessed  a  dear  interest. 
Where  before  it  had  condemned  me  or  appeared  dull,  it  was 
nov/  a  source  of  consolation  and  delight. 

*' God  be  praised!  It  was  his  work!  The  unfruitful  tree 
which  for  twenty-five  years  had  cumbered  the  ground,  had  at  last 
brought  forth  fruit.  Dear  brother,  pray  for  me  that  strength  may 
be  given  me  from  above  to  continue  firm  in  the  good  cause ; 
that  temptations  may  be  withstood,  by  God's  help  and  blessing. 
Pray  that  I  may  live  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  advancement  of 


126  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

the  Redeemer's  kingdom  on  earth.  I  am  but  a  polluted  worm 
in  the  sight  of  God.  May  I  ever  love  and  trust  the  Saviour  and 
do  his  will. 

*'0,  may  the  heart  of  my  white-haired  father  and  mother  be 
gladdened  when  they  hear  of  the  conversion  of  their  son.  May 
they  feel  it  is  an  answer  to  their  prayers.  God  bless  your  efforts, 
my  dear  brother,  and  may  you  behold  the  little  seed  quietly 
dropped  by  the  wayside,  springing  up  into  a  goodly  tree,  bearing 
fruit  unto  eternal  life  ;  and  may  the  hearts  of  Christians  be  cheer- 
ed by  receiving  daily  answers  to  their  prayers  for  seamen. 

''N.  T." 
THE   YOUNG   HERETIC. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1855,  there  came  to  the 
Sailors'  Home  a  young  French  lad,  about  fifteen  years  of 
age.  He  was  found  by  our  missionary  and  invited  to 
church,  where  he  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  sinful- 
ness. After  a  kw  days,  his  heart  softened  under  the 
preaching  of  the  truth,  accompanied  as  it  was  with  pri- 
vate conversation  and  prayer,  until,  by  degrees,  the  light 
broke  in  upon  his  soul,  and  he  found  peace  in  an  entire 
resignation  of  his  spirit,  soul  and  body,  to  Christ.  From 
conversation  had  with  him  in  my  study,  I  learned  that 
he  was  born  in  a  village  of  Brittany,  in  September,  1 840. 
His  parents  being  Roman  Catholics,  he  was,  for  the  first 
ten  years  of  his  life,  instructed  faithfully  in  the  tenets  of 
Romanism.  He  seems  to  have  been  naturally  inclined 
to  piety.  He  was  conscientious,  gentle,  and  obedient  to 
his  parents,  intelligent  and  quick  to  learn  ;  but  according 
to  his  own  statements,  he  never  considered  the  religious 
asperities  of  Rome  conducive  to  the  cultivation  of  a  true 
piety.  In  short,  he  never  took  kindly  to  either  the 
doctrines  or  the  teachers  of  that  church.  A  few  years 
before  I  became  acquainted  with  him,  he  came  into  the 


THE   YOUNG    HERETIC.  12/ 

possession  of  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  through  a  Protestant 
friend.  He  read  his  new  treasure  with  eagerness,  and 
soon  learned  from  it,  that  many  things  demanded  by 
the  priesthood  found  no  countenance  in  the  word  of 
God. 

When  he  was  eleven  years  old,  he  went  to  sea,  with 
an  uncle,  in  a  brig  called  the  St.  Jaques,  bound  to  Cadiz, 
and  thence  to  Newfoundland,  for  a  cargo  of  fish.  On  the 
passage  home  she  ran  into  an  iceberg,  and  was  so  badly 
stove  that  the  crew  were  compelled  to  abandon  her. 
Louis  and  his  uncle,  who  had  extemporized  a  raft,  were 
saved.  But  they  had  only  time  to  secure  a  few  pounds 
of  bread,  a  hatchet,  a  harpoon  and  a  broken  oar.  In  this 
frail  craft  they  were  drifting  about  among  floating  masses 
of  ice  for  nearly  three  days.  This  was  in  the  month  of 
February.  The  cold  was  intense,  and  to  prevent  their 
feet  from  freezing  they  were  compelled  to  keep  them 
under  water.  The  poor  boy,  in  this  perilous  condition, 
thought  of  home,  of  the  teachings  of  his  parents,  and 
only  wished  he  was  once  more  safe  on  solid  ground, 
promising  himself  that  he  would  stay  there.  The  situa- 
tion becoming  more  and  more  unendurable,  he  feared 
that  they  must  die  before  relief  could  come.  He  thought 
of  God  as  the  hearer  of  prayer,  and  asked  his  uncle  if  lie 
might  cry  to  Heaven  for  help.  He  was  very  angry,  and 
with  an  oath  bade  him  think  no  more  of  such  nonsense. 
Afterwards,  however,  he  relented,  and  gave  the  boy  per- 
mission to  pray. 

Louis  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  besought  God  to  save 
them  from  the  threshold  of  death,  or  prepare  them  to 
meet  him  in  heav-en.  While  he  was  praying,  his  uncle 
knelt  beside  him,  and   wept  with  him.     God  heard  that 


128  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

prayer.  In  the  morning  they  were  picked  up  by  a 
Spanish  schooner. 

He  was  soon  at  sea  again,  despite  the  dangers  through 
which  he  had  passed,  and  the  promises  he  had  made  to 
himself.  The  first  voyage  never  did  kill  the  true  sailor. 
His  next  voyage  was  to  China,  whence  he  returned  after 
tvvo  years.  On  reaching  home  he  was  seized  by  the 
Government  and  compelled  to  enter  the  naval  marine. 
But  from  that  enforced  service,  after  doing  duty  about 
ten  days,  he  deserted,  shipped  on  board  an  American 
vessel  and  came  to  the  United  States. 

An  incident  which  he  related  to  me  will  serve  to  illus- 
trate the  independence  of  character  he  possessed,  and  his 
fearlessness  in  what  he  considered  the  right.  After  he 
had  begun  to  read  the  scriptures  referred  to,  he  was  sent 
by  his  mother,  one  Friday,  to  the  priest  to  confession. 
He  was  asked  by  the  ghostly  father  if  he  had  eaten  meat 
that  day  ?  He  rephed  :  "  Yes  !  I  have  eaten  meat  for 
breakfast,  and  intend  to  eat  m_eat  for  dinner." 

The  priest  was  astounded  at  such  a  confession  and  pur- 
pose, called  him  a  young  heretic,  and  commanded  him 
to  kneel  down.  But  he  refused,  saying  he  would  kneel 
to  God,  but  not  to  man.  He  was  then  questioned  as 
to  the  reason  for  his  rebellion  against  the  teachings  and 
discipline  of  the  Church.  He  replied  that  he  had  read 
that  God  gave  meat  to  be  eaten,  and  had  only  prohibit- 
ed the  blood.  The  holy  father  then  demanded  to  see 
the  book  that  contained  these  heresies.  The  boy  brought 
him  the  Bible ;  and  though  he  was  importunate  in  his 
demands  for  its  return,  he  never  saw  it  again.  The 
effect  of  this  priest's  conduct  on  his  young  mind  was  such 
as  to  alienate  him   still  more  from  Rome.     His  sea-hfe, 


THE    YOUNG   HERETIC.  1 29 

from  this  time,  was  more  and  more  careless,  until  he 
reached  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1854.  Here  he  was 
stricken  down  with  ship  fever,  and  lay  in  the  Quarantine 
Hospital,  his  spirit  hovering  between  life  and  death  for 
six  or  seven  weeks. 

Recovering  from  this  imminent  danger,  he  returned 
again  to  the  sea,  and  sailed  out  of  New  York,  until  he 
was  fallen  in  with  by  our  missionary,  who  brought  him 
to  me.  A  few  days  after  this  conversation  he  sailed 
again.  On  the  evening  before  his  departure  he  said  to 
me  :  "  I  know  that  on  board  the  vessel  I  shall  suffer 
temptations  and  persecutions.  But,  I  trust  in  the  Lord 
Jesus.  He  will  give  me  strength  to  bear  them,  or  will 
bring  me  out  of  them  all." 

Believing  that  the  lad  had  clear  views  of  his  duty  and 
of  his  privilege,  of  his  own  weakness  and  of  his  imputed 
strength,  I  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  and 
of  the  ''  Christian's  Daily  Food,"  in  his  own  language,  and 
bade  him  farewell.  Three  months  to  a  day  had  passed, 
when  he  came  back  to  my  study  full  of  love  and  zeal  for 
the  Master.  He  said,  "  I  love  Christ  more  and  more, 
because  he  has  been  so  good  to  me."  He  made  several 
voyages  between  New  York  and  the  South  and  Mexico, 
maintaining  his  Christian  character.  In  October,  1856,  he 
united  with  the  Mariner's  church.  Here  he  displayed 
so  many  sterling  qualities,  and  was  withal  of  so  teach- 
able a  spirit  and  so  apt  to  learn,  that  it  was  deemed  ad- 
visable to  take  him  from  the  sea  and  give  him  an  educa- 
tion that  v/ouid  fit  him  for  still  larger  usefulness  in  the 
ministry.  Funds  were  provided  to  this  end,  and  on  the 
17th  of  November  he  was  received  under  the  care  of  a 
committee  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York.     It  was  deter- 


130  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

mined  to  send  him  at  once  to  an  academy.  The  ladies  of 
the  church  came  together,  made  up  articles  of  clothing, 
bedding,  etc.,  and  fitted  him  out.  On  the  ist  of  Decem- 
ber I  took  him  to  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey,  and  placed 
him  in  the  academy  of  Rev.  Thos.  H.  Morris.  Only  a 
few  days  after  he  was  lodged  in  this  pleasant  home,  he 
received  a  letter  from  the  priest  of  his  native  village,  up- 
braiding him  for  becoming  a  heretic.  He  had  written 
to  his  mother  informing  her  of  his  conversion,  and  she, 
being  a  rigid  Catholic,  gave  the  letter  to  the  priest. 
Hence  these  tears.  In  his  letter  to  me,  dated  December 
1 2th,  1856,  he  says  : 

"Thank  God,  my  faith  is  already  strong  enough  to  resist  his 
persuasions.  He  seems  horrified  at  my  purpose  to  study  for  the 
ministry,  and  commands  ms  to  leave  the  school  and  cling  to  the 
first  religion  which  he  taught  me.  But  I  am  firm.  Christ  is 
my  Shepherd.     I  feel  that  he  will  not  let  me  go  astray. " 

Louis  progressed  favorably  with  his  academic  studies, 
and  soon  won  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  principal  and 
his  family,  as  well  as  of  the  students.  He  grew  in  grace, 
as  he  increased  in  knowledge,  took  part  in  young 
people's  prayer-meetings,  and  gave  general  satisfaction 
in  his  studies  as  well  as  in  his  daily  walk.  In  a  letter 
written  to  me,  dated  March  26th,  1857,  he  says:  *' I 
often  think  of  the  Mariners'  Church.  I  can  never  forget 
that  it  was  there  that  I  was  born  again.  I  am  anxious 
to  know  whether  there  are  any  more  souls  brought  to 
Christ." 

Writing  again,  June  22nd,  he  says :  ''  I  have  received 
another  letter  from  my  parents,  who  are  in  trouble,  and 
wish  me  to  come  home.     I  cannot  any  longer  resist  their 


THE   YOUNG    HERETIC.  131 

appeal.  Mr.  Morris  has  seen  the  letter,  and  he  thinks  it 
is  my  duty  to  go.  My  father  is  now  an  exile  in  Eng- 
land. He,  too,  writes  me  to  come  home  and  help  my 
mother."     He  adds  : 

"  Now  I  have  told  you  my  misfortunes.  I  will  also  tell  you 
something  which  is  better.  My  father,  who  was  no  better  than 
a  heathen,  has  been  convicted  of  his  sins,  and  has  found  peace  in 
believing  on  the  Son  of  God. 

"This  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  v/ho  has  opened  his  eyes 
to  the  truth  as  it  is  revealed  in  the  word  of  God  In  reading 
the  New  Testament  he  was  sad  at  the  thought  that  it  was  his  sins 
which  caused  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  Yet  he  grieved  the  Holy 
Spirit  by  trying  to  persuade  himself  that  Jesus  was  not '  the  Christ. ' 
To  fortify  himself  in  this  belief  he  took  up  the  Old  Testament, 
hoping  to  prove  from  it  that  Jesus  was  not  the  anointed  of  God. 
Christ  would  not,  however,  that  he  should  thus  perish.  For  on 
opening  the  Bible,  his  eye  fell  upon  the  55rd  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
in  which  the  prophet  foretells  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the 
glory  that  should  follow.  It  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  that  he 
bowed  down  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  mth  a  broken  heart 
asked  forgiveness  at  the  hands  of  his  heavenly  Father,  through 
Christ/' 

Tlie  result  of  all  this  was  that  Louis,  after  enjoying 
the  advantages  of  the  academy  for  six  months,  aban- 
doned his  studies,  and  left  us  permanently,  to  our  grief 
and  disappointment,  as  we  had  anticipated  a  life  of 
usefulness  for  him.  How  true  it  is — "  Man  proposes, 
but  God  disposes  !" 

I  did  not  hear  from  our  young  friend  again  until  the 
month  of  August,  1859,  when  he  returned  to  New  York. 
In  a  letter  received  from  him  on  the  20th  of  that  month, 
he  says : 


132  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

''I  wish  to  state  to  you  some  of  my  experience,  since  I  left 
you  two  years  ago.  When  I  was  brought  to  Christ  to  seek  the 
sah^ation  of  my  soul  through  him  alone,  you  gave  me  a  New  Tes- 
tament in  my  own  language,  and  directed  me  especially  to  read 
the  Gospel  according  to  the  Evangelist  John.  I  did  so,  and  was 
at  once  convinced  of  the  unscriptural  character  of  the  religion  in 
which  I  was  instructed,  and  the  blessedness  of  the  one  I  was 
taught  to  abhor. 

''As  a  consequence  of  that  change,  I  had  a  desire  that  others 
should  see  it  in  the  same  light.  Trusting  therefore  to  the  same 
power  which  had  opened  my  eyes  to  the  truth,  I  began  to  work 
to  that  end.  My  first  essay  was  at  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico.  Our 
vessel  had  been  supplied,  before  leaving  New  York,  with  several 
Spanish  Testaments.  These  I  took  ashore  and  distributed 
among  the  Mexicans.  The  result  is  known  to  God,  and  to 
those  who  received  them  alone.  But  it  is  of  the  Testament  you 
gave  me  that  I  wish  especially  to  inform  you.  When  I 
reached  home,  after  leaving  my  studies,  1  felt  there  was  an  im.- 
mense  work  for  me  to  do.  I  was  subjected  to  continual  perse- 
cutions from  the  priests,  and  even  from  my  own  relations,  but 
all  these  things  sunk  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  the 
few  moments  of  joy  I  had,  when  permitted  to  do  something  for 
the  Lord. 

*T  will  relate  one  incident  connected  with  that  Testament.  In 
our  village,  vvas  a  young  man  who  had  been  a  school-fellow  of 
mine.  He  was  now  at  a  Jesuit  college,  preparing  for  the  priest- 
hood. He  knew  that  I  went  to  sea,  and  he  had  heard  that  I 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  heretics. 

"  Learning  of  my  arrival  home,  and  having  an  affection  for  me, 
he  resolved  to  try  and  bring  me  back  to  the  worship  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary  and  to  the  bosom  of  the  church  in  which  alone  he  be- 
lieved I  could  be  saved.  He  came  to  me  full  of  zeal,  and  for  a 
long  time  discoursed  of  the  darkness  of  my  way,  of  the  danger  of 
my  position  and  of  the  nature  and  consequence  of  excommuni- 
cation.    At  length  he  paused,  and  watched  my  countenance,  to 


THE    YOUNG   HERETIC.  1 33 

mark  the  effects  of  his  exhortation.  But  I  assured  him  that  the 
excommunication  he  dreaded  had  nothing  of  horror  in  it  for  me. 
I  then  gave  him  my  reasons  for  the  course  I  had  taken  in  turn- 
ing to  Christ,  and  looking  to  him  alone  for  my  salvation.  He 
was  astonished  that  I  quoted  so  many  passages  from  the  very  life 
of  Christ  to  sustain  that  religion  which  he  conceived  sure  dam- 
nation. He  was,  as  he  told  me,  studying  a  Latin  New  Testa- 
ment, but  he  could  not  understand  it.  Then  it  was  that  I  gave 
him  the  French  Testament  which  I  had  received  from  you.  He 
began  to  read  it;  and  the  result  was  the  light  of  truth  poured  into 
his  soul.  Before  he  left  me,  I  asked  him  to  let  me  pray  with 
him.  He  consented.  We  bowed  together,  and  God  blessed 
that  prayer.  He  was  astonished  to  find  that  instead  of  saying 
*'Sancta  Maria  Mater  Dei — ora  pro  nobis,  peccatoribus, '  (Holy 
Mary,  mother  of  God  pray  for  us  sinners, )  I  went  to  God  direct, 
as  David  did,  saying,  '  Aie  pitie  de  moi,  O  Dieu,  aie  pitie  de  moi, 
car  mon  ame  se  retire  vers  toi,  et  je  me  retire  sous  I'ombre  de 
tes  ailes,  jusque  a  ce  que  les  calamite,  soient  passees  (Ps.  Ivii.  i. 
He  listened  to  that  prayer,  and  though  it  was  so  simple,  he  said 
he  had  never  heard  anything  so  much  like  a  prayer  before. 
God  blessed  that  young  man.  He  felt  no  inclination  to  return 
to  his  college  studies.  What  was  more  astonishing,  his  father 
was  overjoyed,  for  the  Jesuits  had  taken  him  against  his  father's 
will.  A  few  days  after  our  interview  the  young  convert  came 
and  took  me  to  his  home.  His  father  received  me  with  a 
pleasant  smile  on  his  face,  and  said,  '  Welcome,  young  heretic ! 
You  restored  my  son  to  me.  It  is  better  for  him  to  be  a  heretic 
than  a  Jesuit.' 

"When  I  last  saw  this  young  disciple,  about  two  months  since, 
I  wept  with  joy  to  see  the  work  he  had  accomplished  for  Christ. 
He  has  been  a  heretic  now  for  nearly  two  years,  and  has  no  wish 
ever  to  be  anything  else.  Now,  Mr.  Jones,  this  is  not  what  1 
have  done,  but  what  Christ  and  the  New  Testament  have  done. 
God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  in  anything  but  the  cross  of  Christ, 
to  whom  alone  all  glory  is  due. 

"  Humbly  yours,  Louis  le  Mescam." 


134  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

I  never  have  seen  the  young  Frenchman  since.  Ele- 
ven years  passed  away  without  a  h'ne  from  him.  I 
often  thought  of  him,  but  feared  he  was  dead.  I  felt  sure 
that  if  alive,  he  would  have  communicated  with  me,  for 
I  know  that  he  loved  us  all.  Perhaps  he  had  gone  down 
in  some  foundering  ship  or  been  dashed  to  pieces  on  some 
rock-bound  coast,  and  his  bones  had  mingled  with  those 
of  ocean's  myriad  dead.  Or  perhaps  in  some  far  ofif 
land  he  had  been  stricken  with  disease,  and  nursed  by 
stranger  hands,  had-  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus,  and  been  bur- 
ied in  an  unknown  grave.  Judge  of  my  surprise  then, 
dear  reader,  when  I  received  a  letter,  in  his  well-known 
handwriting,  from  Havre,  dated  February  ist,  iS/o.  It 
was  to  me  like  receiving  a  message  from  the  grave.  It 
said  : 

''It  is  now  nearly  eleven  years  since  I  wrote  to  you.  I  have 
been  tossed  about  the  world  and  suffered  many  hardships  and 
family  losses.  Great  sorrows  have  fallen  to  my  lot,  but  I  have  al- 
ways had  you  in  my  thoughts,  and  indeed  all  my  friends  in  New 
York.  I  could  not  blot  from  my  memory  the  many  good  men 
who  took  such  an  interest  in  my  future  life.  Especially  him, 
who  opened  to  my  mind  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  as  contrasted 
with  the  Romish  fables  which  I  was  taught  when  a  child.  You 
will  believe  me,  when  I  tell  you  that  I  have  never  ceased  to  be  a 
Protestant,  heart  and  soul,  and  that  my  greatest  hope  is  to  die  in 
that  faith.  You  will  add  greatly  to  the  obligations  I  owe  you 
already  by  sending  me  a  note,  that  I  may  know  how  all  my  old 
friends  are.  The  happiness  of  hearing  from  them  and  from  you 
and  yours  is  a  ioy  which  I  have  long  anticipated. " 

I  responded  immediately,  and  on  the  8th  of  the  next 
month  received  the  following,  which  I  will  introduce  by 
saying,  that  when  Louis  left  us,  he  seemed  to  be  laboring 


CORRESPONDENCE    RE-OPENED.  1 35 

under  a  difficulty  which  I  could  not  fully  understand ;  a 
burden  appeared  to  rest  upon  his  mind,  arising  from  what 
I  conceived  to  be  a  voluntary  humility  on  his  part,  a  sense 
not  only  of  unfitness,  but  of  prcsinnption  in  seeking  the 
high  and  holy  office  of  the  ministry.  His  conscience  was 
really  sensitive  on  that  point,  although  the  honor  was 
not  in  reality  of  his  seeking.  This  much,  it  is  necessary 
to  state,  in  explanation  of  some  expressions  in  his  letter, 
which  runs  thus : 

''My  dear  Frie?id — Your  kind  answer  has  more  than  justified 
my  faith.  I  left  you  in  1859,  convinced  that  my  position  was  a 
false  one,  and  that  under  the  circumstances  I  could  not  possess  a 
clean  heart  and  an  upright  spirit.  I  therefore  left  you,  not  for 
want  of  affection  for  you,  but  rather  the  reverse.  I  hoped  to  find 
peace  for  my  mind  amid  the  toils  and  hardships  of  life.  God  has 
deigned  to  hear  the  prayers  you  offered  in  my  behalf,  and  even 
my  poor  supplications  also  for  his  guidance.  To  his  gracious 
control,  do  I  now  ascribe  my  earnest  faith  and  my  joyful  hope. 
He  has  brought  me  to  this  state  through  many  sorrows  and  afflic- 
tions. I  have  submitted  to  what  I  believed  to  be  the  will  of 
God.  Yet  I  have  been  broken  down  and  wretched.  But  it  is  a 
blessed  thing  to  have  God  for  my  Father,  my  refuge,  to  whom.  I 
can  look  in  all  my  troubles,  even  in  those  which  I  may  have 
brought  upon  myself  through  my  own  imprudence." 

In  a  letter  written  more  recently,  explaining  in  detail 
his  reasons  for  abandoning  his  studies,  he  says  : 

"  A  letter  written  to  me  by  the  priest  of  our  village,  urging  me 
to  come  home,  stated  that  my  mother  had  been  bed-ridden  for 
six  months,  and  was  perhaps  dying.  On  reading  that,  I  had  no 
more  courage  for  study  ;  I  therefore  started  for  home.  I  worked 
my  passage  from  New  York  to  Havre,  walked  from  Havre  to 
Paimpol  in  Brittany,  and    found  a  desolate  home.     I  wrote  to 


136  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

the  Rev.  Mr.  Sawtell,  seamen's  chaplain  in  Havre.  He  loaned 
me  money  enough  to  transfer  my  mother  to  a  hospital  at  St. 
Brienne,  where  her  leg  was  amputated  at  the  thigh.  Leaving 
her  there,  I  footed  it  to  Havre,  shipped  for  Boston  and  New  Or- 
leans, and  returned  in  another  vessel  to  Havre ;  but  hearing 
that  my  mother  had  died — which  I  afterwards  learned  was  not 
true — I  returned  to  New  York,  thence  to  New  Oi  leans,  sailed 
thence  for  Liverpool,  was  driven  on  a  reef,  sprung  a  leak,  tried 
to  make  Savannah,  but  sunk  off  Tybee  Island.  I  returned  to 
Havre,  obtained  employment  ashore  as  a  courier,  became  tired 
of  the  land,  sailed  again  for  New  Orleans,  and  reached  there 
about  the  time  the  first  shot  was  fired  at  Sumter.  Thence  I 
went  to  Baltimore,  joined  a  corps  of  volunteers,  became  a 
United  States  soldier,  served  thirteen  months  for  the  preser\-ation 
of  the  Union,  was  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  got  wounded 
in  the  right  hand  and  was  discharged.  Instead  of  re-enlisting  I 
took  passage  to  Liverpool,  shipped  thence  for  Calcutta;  left  the 
ship  there,  and  engaged  with  a  Florentine  gentleman  who  was 
selling  statuary,  I  went  with  him  to  Cawnpore,  Benares  and  Delhi, 
and  becoming  weary  again  of  the  shore,  came  back  to  Calcutta 
and  shipped  for  Sidney,  New  South  Wales. 

' '  That  was  my  last  voyage  as  employee.  I  left  the  ship  there 
and  obtained  employment  in  a  hotel.  Some  time  afterwards  I 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  respectable  Christian  family,  con- 
sisting of  a  widow  lady,  having  a  son  and  daughter  at  home 
with  her.  In  June,  1863,  I  married  the  daughter,  and  then, 
with  heartfelt  thanks  to  God  for  this  his  last  best  gift,  we  kneeled 
in  prayer,  and  consecrated  ourselves  to  him.  I  begged  him  for 
Jesus'  sake  to  preserve  us  to  each  other,  and  to  direct  me  in  the 
new  and  solemn  obligations  I  had  entered  into  with  her  whom 
I  had  sworn  to  love  and  protect.  I  now  enjoyed  a  short  season 
of  real  happiness.  All  past  uncertainties  seemed  to  have  dis- 
appeared. I  thought  I  saw  for  myself  a  bright  and  happy  future. 
My  wife  answered  all  my  loving  hopes.  Mine  was  a  happy 
home.      But  in  six  short  weeks  death  came  into  the  circle.     My 


•  SEVERE   AFFLICTION,  137 

brother-in-law,  to  whom  I  was  fondly  attached  for  his  sterling 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  was  taken  from  us.  My  wife  and  I 
then  took  his  place  in  caring  for  the  widow.  This  was  for  me  a 
pleasant  duty.  Time  ran  on,  grief  for  the  dead  moderated,  and 
we  were  once  more  happy.  My  employer  promoted  me  to  a 
higher  position,  and  increased  my  salary,  so  that  I  was  enabled  to 
lay  by  a  portion  for  future  exigencies. 

''At  length  a  child  was  born  unto  us.  Once  more  I  praised 
the  Lord.  I  wept  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  on  hearing  the  voice 
of  my  first-born.  But  from  that  time  my  earthly  happiness  was 
brief  My  wife's  health  was  shattered  by  her  confinement.  In 
five  months  my  child  died  in  her  mother's  arms.  It  was  a  sad 
blow  to  me,  as  it  was  so  unexpected.  I  left  her  well  when  I 
went  to  business  in  the  morning,  and  fifteen  minutes  after  my 
return,  in  the  evening,  she  was  cold  in  death.  I  had  fondly 
hoped  to  have  this  child  live,  that  I  might  bestow  my  love  and 
labor  upon  her ;  but  it  was  the  Lord's  will  that  my  hopes  should 
not  be  realized.  My  wife's  health  was  again  broken  by  a  second 
confinement,  and,  after  lingering  only  six  months,  she,  too,  went 
to  her  Saviour,  whom  she  had  loved  and  trusted.  Our  second 
child  had  died  two  days  before  her  mother.  My  dear  wife's  death 
was  calm,  peaceful  and  full  of  hope.  I  listened  to  her  weak  voice 
saying,  '  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want. '  Holding  my 
hand  in  hers,  she  bade  me  cheer  up,  and  trusting  always  in  Jesus, 
to  meet  her  and  our  little  ones  in  heaven.  Shortly  after  this  her 
spirit  passed  away,  while  her  dying  gaze  was  fixed  upon  me. 

*'  I  buried  them  all  in  the  same  grave  in  the  Presbyterian 
church-yard.     On  the  grave  stone  I  had  inscribed  these  lines  : 

*  A  few  short  years  of  evil  pass'd. 

We  reach  the  happy  shore, 
Where  death-divided  friends,  at  last 
Shall  meet  to  part  no  more. ' 

*'Such  then,  my  dear  friend,  is  a  part  of  my  story.  During 
my  trials  I  had   reason  to  bless  God  that  I  found,   while  yet  a 


138  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

sailor  hoy,  such  a  Christian  friend  as  you.  For  in  my  troubles  I 
remembered  your  teachings,  when  you  turned  my  heart  towards 
him  whom  you  taught  me  to  look  upon  as  the  only  Mediator 
between  God  and  man.  So  much  sorrow,  anxiety  and  watching 
laid  me  on  a  bed  of  sickness.  I  was  unconscious  of  pain  for  some 
time,  as  the  fever  affected  my  brain.  After  God  had  restored  me 
to  health  my  employer  sent  me  through  the  interior  towns,  on  a 
business  tour.  The  change  had  a  good  effect  on  my  health,  and 
in  Februar)^,  1869,  I  started  on  my  journey  to  my  childhood's 
home.  I  reached  France  last  June,  too  late  however  to  meet  my 
father,  who  had  gone  to  his  rest  a  short  time  before.  I  did  not 
find  the  enjoyment  I  had  anticipated.  I  refused,  from  principle, 
to  order  any  masses  for  the  repose  of  my  father's  soul,  or  to  pay 
any  portion  of  the  expenses  incurred  for  that  purpose  by  my  mo- 
ther, brother  and  sister.  I  was  therefore  treated  with  coldness, 
if  not  with  aversion,  at  least  I  fancied  so.  I  therefore  turned  my 
back  on  my  native  village  once  more,  and  I  believe  for  the  last 
time.  I  left  sufficient  means  however  to  provide  for  my  mother's 
wants  while  she  lives,  and  came  to  Havre,  where  I  am  now  em- 
ployed as  interpreter  by  American  and  English  travellers. " 

After  making  minute  mquiries  concerning  all  the  mem- 
bers of  our  family,  he  says,  in  closing  : 

"Present  my  highest  respects  to  Mrs.  Jones;  tell  her  I  have 
often  thought  of  her  who  took  me  by  the  hand  and  called  me 
her  son.  As  for  you,  my  dear  father  in  the  Lord,  whatever  may 
have  been  my  wanderings,  I  have  never  forgotten  to  whom  I  owed 
and  still  owe  my  first  knowledge  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Tell 
all  the  good  people  who  befriended  me  in  my  youth,  that  al- 
though I  may  never  see  them  on  earth,  lam  yet  in  the  band  of 
hope,  and  shall  see  them  in  heaven." 

Another  letter  was  received  in  the  following  June,  in 
which  he  deprecates  the  quarrel  then  in  progress  between 
France  and  Germany,  and  declares  he  has  no  sympathy 


IN  SEVENTEEN  BATTLES.  139 

with  war.  If  it  comes,  he  will  have  no  hand  in  it,  but 
will  come  to  America  or  go  again  to  Australia.  He  also 
soeaks  very  gratefully  of  the  letter  I  had  written  him,  and 
says  :  ''  I  feel  that  a  sight  of  you  would  bring  such  happi- 
ness back  to  my  soul  as  I  have  not  tasted  for  years.  I 
treasure  your  letter  among  the  dearest  records  I  possess, 
and  read  it  often.  For  you  lead  my  thoughts  away  from 
the  cares  and  anxieties  of  the  world,  to  the  true  seat  of 
rest  and  happiness  above."  In  the  opening  of  the  next 
year,  I  received  a  communication  from  him,  dated  Janu- 
ary 24th,  1 87 1,  from  Octerville,  at  which  point  a  part 
of  the  French  army  was  posted.     In  it  he  says  : 

"For  the  last  four  months  I  have  taken  up  arms,  in  order  to 
render  my  feeble  help,  as  in  duty  bound,  to  save  my  native  land 
from  the  ruin  into  which  our  enemies  would  plunge  us.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  war  I  did  not  sympathise  with  the  cause,  nor 
with  the  men  who  brought  us  into  the  strife.  But  after  the 
capitulation  of  Sedan  the  cause  became  sacred.  I  saw  that  the 
mouve  of  the  Prussians  was  not  only  to  conquer  our  armies  and 
our  government,  but  to  send  desolation  throughout  the  whole 
land.  Then  it  was,  that,  along  with  many  other  patriots,  I  en- 
listed. Since  then  I  have  done  my  duty  to  my  country,  humbly 
praying  the  Lord  to  direct  me,  submitting  my  fate  to  his  de- 
cision. It  may  be  that  this  is  the  end  for  which  he  has  hitherto 
spared  my  worthless  life,  and  I  may  fall  in  the  defence  of  my 
country.  I  hope  this  war  will  awaken  my  countrymen  to  a  true 
sense  of  religion  and  to  a  dependence  on  God,  who  is  the  only 
wise  ruler  of  nations. 

''For  myself  I  can  say,  since  I  have  cast  my  lot  among  my 
comrades  in  arms,  the  Lord  has  sustained  me  in  duty  and  pro- 
tected my  life.  Many  of  those  who  joined  when  I  did,  have  found 
death  on  the  battle-fields— I  say  battle-fields,  for  I  was  in  sev-en- 
teen  engagements  during  the  war." 


X40  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

He  closes  by  signing  himself  *'  Marichal  DE  Logis, 
de  la  batterie  de  Metrailleuse  du  Havre,  first  Division, 
second  Brigade." 

I  wrote  immediately  as  he  had  directed,  but  years  rolled 
away,  and  I  heard  no  more  from  my  young  friend  of  1856. 
I  could  only  account  for  his  silence  by  the  supposition 
that  he,  too,  had  fallen  among  the  slain  in  his  country's 
defence.  All  track  of  him  seemed  to  be  absolutely  lost. 
Letters  sent  to  him  had  brought  no  response,  and  yet  I 
could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  settle  down  to  the  convic- 
tion of  his  death,  without  making  at  least  one  more  effort 
to  find  him.  I  wrote  again  to  Havre,  and  succeeded  in 
procuring  the  information  that  my  young  friend  had 
passed  through  the  war  unscathed,  had  married,  and  ggne 
again  from  his  native  land  to  try  a  new  country.  His 
address  was  given  me  as  **  Nouvelle  Caledonia." 

Here  then  I  was  once  more  on  his  track.  Being  anx- 
ious to  know  how  the  good  Lord  was  leading  him,  and 
using  his  sweet  spirit  for  his  own  glory,  I  sent  a  letter 
speeding  away  to  the  extreme  East,  as  on  a  kind  of  for- 
lorn hope,  to  bring  him  again,  if  possible,  within  the  circle 
of  my  correspondence.  My  letter  was  dated  May  2lst, 
1880.  It  found  him,  and  elicited  the  following  in  reply, 
which  adds  another  chapter  of  incidents  to  his  already 
checkered  and  eventful  history.  It  has  this  delightful 
feature,  at  least.  It  proves  the  vitality  of  the  seed  which 
was  sown  in  his  young  heart  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
It  shows,  moreover,  that  the  quality  of  the  seed  has  not 
deteriorated,  though  carried  so  far  from  its  native  soil.  I 
give  his  communication  entire,  because  it  illustrates  the 
romance  which  so  often  pertains  to  real  life,  and  is  a  fit- 
ting close  to  a  story  which  bears  so  many  marks  of  an 


WORK   IN   NEW    CALEDONIA.  I4I 

overruling  Providence,  as  well  as  of  the  blessed  results 
of  our  labor  for  Christ  among  these  wanderers  of  the  sea. 
It  is  dated  at  Noumea,  New  Caledonia,  July  24th,  1880. 

'' My  dear  Father — So,  with  your  usual  kindness,  you  have 
wished  to  find  out  and  hear  something  of  the  poor  stranger 
you  so  generously  harbored  some  twenty  years  ago.  Had  not 
your  welcome  letter  brought  with  it  the  sad  news  of  your  beloved 
wife's  death,  how  happy  I  should  have  been  to  welcome  it. 
How  can  I  receive  the  news  without  shedding  tears  for  the  mem- 
ory of  one  who  called  the  outcast  boy  her  son,  and  whom  I  also 
called  by  the  sweet  name  of  mother?  I  am  glad  that  I  was  per- 
mitted once  more  before  she  departed,  to  let  her  know  that  I  had 
not  forgotten  her.  May  she  not,  even  now,  see  my  sorrow,  as  I 
pen  these  lines  with  bitter  tears,  and  forgive  all  my  ingratitude .? 
And  you,  beloved  friend,  will  you  not  excuse  the  boy?  Cares, 
hardship  and  toil  have  been  my  lot  since  you  last  heard  from 
me — ^yet  not  wholly  unmingled  with  pleasure  and  contentment. 

"■  My  life  was  spared  during  the  war  in  which  my  country 
was  engaged,  although  my  sufferings  were  great,  both  physically 
and  mentally.  But  like  all  other  phases  of  life,  it  passed  away  to 
make  room  for  other  scenes.  Now  I  am  once  more  blessed  with 
a  beloved  wife  and  have  four  sweet  children,  two  boys  and  two 
girls.  My  eldest,  a  boy,  was  born  at  sea,  on  our  passage  from 
France  to  this  place,  in  lat.  46°  south  and  long.  55°  east  of  Paris, 
in  the  Southern  Indian  Ocean,  and  in  a  cyclone.  The  other 
three  were  born  here  in  Noumea. 

"I  am  doing  as  well  as  I  can  expect  in  business,  being  a  part- 
ner in  one  of  the  principal  firms  here.  I  am  not  getting  rich,  for 
the  country  has  passed  through  a  series  of  financial  difficulties, 
during  the  last  three  or  four  years.  Yet  we  are  holding  our 
own,  and  I  have  great  hopes  of  success.  My  spare  time  is  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  Protestantism,  and  to  the  welfare  of  the 
public  schools,  from  which,  after  a  hard  battle,  we  have  succeeded 
in  ejecting  the  holy  brothers,   of  the    Jesuitical    institution,   and 


142  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

replacing  them  by  lay  teachers.  We  hope  to  see  our  children, 
even  in  this  land  of  convicts,  Jesuits  and  savages,  receive  a  suit- 
able education.  Rev.  Mr.  Charbonniaud,  our  well-beloved  Prot- 
estant pastor,  has  helped  us  as  far  as  his  official  position  will 
allow. 

"When,  dear  father,  shall  we  meet.?  Will  it  be  here  or 
above  ?  Which  ever  it  be,  one  heart  will  ever  beat  for  you,  un- 
known, perhaps,  to  all  else  but  itself,  no  matter  what  time  or 
space  may  separate  us.  That  heart  is  mine.  The  young  lad, 
wavering,  unsettled,  careless  perhaps,  of  a  changeable  disposi- 
tion, had,  and  has  one  thing  as  big  as  any  man,  and  that  was 
and  is  his  heart.  That  has  never  changed.  It  remembers — • 
what.'  your  kindness  .?  your  hospitality .?  No!  these  terms  are 
too  cold.  It  remembers  your  fatherly  love.  When  you  speak 
to  your  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  may  remember  me  as  in  a 
dream,  tell  them  that  there  is  at  a  great  distance,  far  away  in  the 
South  Pacific  Ocean,  one  man  who  would  like  to  press  them  to 
his  heart,  for  their  parents'  sake.  Pardon  this  letter,  which  I 
have  scarcely  been  able  to  write  on  account  of  the  emotion 
which  every  remembrance  of  you  brings  to  me.  Remember  me 
to  your  children,  and  to  all  my  friends,  and  accept  for  yourself 
the  assurance  of  my  affection. 

' '  Yours  truly,  L.   Le  Mescam.  " 

I  may  add,  in  closing  this  interesting  sketch,  what  I 
have  learned  from  other  sources  of  information,  viz.,  that 
the  eight  years  spent  by  my  young  friend  in  New  South 
Wales,  were  by  no  means  years  of  inactivity  in  the 
Master's  vineyard.  I  have  seen  articles  written  for  the 
press  which  show  that  he  was  busy  with  his  pen,  as  well 
as  with  his  tongue,  in  the  cause  of  philanthropy  ;  that 
he  felt  for  others'  woes,  and  was  in  sympathy  with  the 
poor  and  oppressed.  He  was  fearlessly  and  actively  en- 
gaged  in  church  work,  took  a  deep   interest  in  the  Sab- 


STILL    WORKING.  143 

bath-school,  and  in  the  cause  of  Temperance.  In  short, 
he  was  about  his  Master's  business.  Faithful,  affection- 
ate, full  of  sympathy,  self-denying,  patient  to  labor,  and 
strong  to  endure,  he  gained  the  confidence  of  hts  em- 
ployer, the  affection  of  his  pastor,  Rev.  J.  McGibbon, 
and  the  good  will  of  the  community  in  which  he  dwelt. 
His  life  also  bore  testimony  to  the  loving  favor  of  his 
God.  The  good  seed  of  the  Word  had  taken  deep  root 
in  the  soil  of  his  young  heart,  already  prepared  by  the 
Great  Husbandman,  and  hence  the  fruit  is  manifold. 

He  still  lives,  and  is  laboring  for  Christ.  What  things 
he  may  yet  accomplish,  we  may  not  now  predict.  It  is 
not  for  us  to  forecast  the  future,  beyond  this.  He  is  in 
the  hands  of  our  loving  and  covenant  Father,  who  called 
him  into  his  own  harvest  field,  in  the  bloom  of  his  youth, 
and  who  knows  how  to  utilize  his  matured  energies  for  his 
own  glory.  It  is  perfectly  safe  therefore  to  assume  that 
he  will  still  employ  him  for  his  own  wise  ends,  and  may 
make  him  a  still  greater  blessing  to  the  world,  in  the 
proclaiming  of  his  own  name,  as  the  "  confidence  of  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  and  of  them  also  that  are  afar  off 
upon  the  sea." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

CHURCH    WORK    IN     1 856 — PRAYER    IN    THE    HATCH- 
HOUSE. 

Watch-night — A  mind  to  work— Voluntary  effort— Missionary  at  China — 
Another  laborer  for  Christ — Success  among  shipmates — A  brief  ministry 
— Sweetmeats— Chief  officer — Uncertainty  of  life— A  young  Englishman 
■ — Prayer  retroactive — Bureau  of  information — Lord  Howe's  Island — 
A  missionary  whaleman— The  Bethel  work — Prayer  in  the  "  Hatch- 
house  " — Early  teachings — Ten  years  in  the  forecastle — Serious  convic- 
tions—Faithful captain — Bible  brought  out—"  What  must  I  do  " — The 
firm  resolve — Now  or  never — Desire  to  preach — Way  opened — Enters 
college— An  ambassador  for  Christ— Blessed  of  God— Twenty  years  in 
the  ministry. 

In  closing  the  records  of  the  year  1855,  i^  occurs 
to  me  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  service  at  which  we 
bade  farewell  to  the  old  year,  and  welcomed  the  entering 
in  of  the  new.  It  was  our  sailor's  *' watch-night."  The 
reader  will  say,  *'  Why,  every  night  is  a  sailor's  watch- 
night."  I  am  aware  of  that,  I  have  stood  many  of  them. 
But  a  watch-night  ashore  is  a  different  thing  altogether 
from  a  watch-night  at  sea,  especially  such  a  watch-night 
as  that  held  in  our  Mariners'  church  on  the  last  night  of 
the  closing  year.  I  had  some  doubts  about  detaining  sea- 
men for  five  hours  at  a  stretch  at  a  religious  meeting,  but 
they  had  learned  to  **obey  orders,  if  they  broke  owners." 
144 


CHURCH    WORK   IN    1 856.  I45 

I  resolved  therefore  to  give  it  a  trial.  The  result  proved 
that  I  had  not  miscalculated  the  staying  power  of  the 
audience.      Sailors  are  accustomed  to  *' hold  on." 

At  half- past  seven  a  large  number  of  seamen  were 
present ;  others  continued  to  pour  in  until  ten  o'clock. 
From  7.30  till  9  P.  M.,  we  spent  the  time  in  praying  and 
singing  on  the  voluntary  principle.  A  recess  then  took 
place  for  fifteen  minutes  for  social  converse.  At  9.15,  I 
preached  a  sermon  from  Phil.  iii.  13,  14,  urging  the  duty 
of  pressing  forward  to  new  conquests  for  the  Master. 
This  occupied  the  time  until  eleven.  Then  came  the 
season  of  blessedness.  The  best  of  the  wine  was  reserved 
for  the  last  of  the  feast.  An  invitation  being  given,  men 
rose  on  every  side,  to  testify  of  their  love  for,  or  their 
n^ed  of  Christ.  A  red  shirt  here,  a  blue  shirt  there,  a 
xHonkey -jacket,  or  a  frock  coat  among  them  was  seen  lift- 
ing itself  above  the  rest,  while  its  wearer,  beaten  by  the 
storms  of  every  sea,  bronzed  by  every  clime,  gave  forth 
in  simple,  brief  and  earnest  utterances,  his  testimony  for 
Christ.  Many  regretted  their  short  comings  in  the  past, 
and  promised  better  things  for  the  future. 

At  12.15  eleven  persons — five  of  them  unconverted 
seamen,  rose  to  ask  for  prayer,  three  of  whom  gave  un- 
mistakable evidence  afterward  of  having  passed  from 
death  unto  life.  A  few  moments  of  silent  prayer  in  the 
opening  minutes  of  the  New  Year,  closed  one  of  the  most 
thrillingly  interesting  meetings  I  had  ever  attended  in  my 
life.  It  was  valued  more  however  for  the  promise  it  gave 
for  the  future,  than  for  its  present  results.  It  was  worth 
a  whole  life  time  of  labor  and  opposition.  Its  effect  on 
my  own  soul  was  to  make  me  determine  to  live  more  devot- 
edly, and,  with  the  Divine  blessing,  to  consecrate  myself 
10 


146  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

more  absolutely  to  the  blessed  ministry  of  Christ  among 
my  brethren  of  the  sea. 

The  new  year  had  been  sanctified  by  the  spirit  of  God 
in  the  silence  of  the  consecrating  prayer,  with  which  the 
watch-night  closed.  Baptized  as  it  was  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  animated  by  hope  and  trust  for  the  future,  it 
gave  large  promises  of  blessed  results.  Nor  were  the 
hopes  of  God's  people  either  deferred  or  disappointed. 
The  reviving  influence  continued.  The  walls  of  our  holy 
city  went  steadily  upward,  for  our  people  had  *'a  mind  to 
work."  Spurred  on  by  the  increasing  interest  manifest- 
ed, they  threw  themselves  into  the  work  with  redoubled 
zeal  and  energy.  The  congregations  were  enlarged,  the 
number  of  meetings  increased.  The  wave  of  spiritual 
life  rolled  on  with  increasing  force,  and  each  week  added 
to  its  momentum.  Sailors  became  more  and  more  alive  to 
their  own  eternal  welfare,  and  presented  themselves  in 
increasing  numbers  to  the  pastor  and  missionary,  in  the 
attitude  of  inquirers  after  the  way  of  life.  There  was  no 
physical  excitement,  no  shouting,  no  anxious  seat,  but  a 
calm,  earnest,  profound  and  intense  conviction  of  sin. 
Brave  men,  whose  faces  would  not  blanch  before  the 
enemy's  broadside,  who  had  experienced  the  horrors  of  a 
dark  lee  shore  without  quailing,  were  convulsed  with  grief 
and  bathed  in  tears,  under  a  consciousness  of  the  heinous- 
ness  of  their  sins,  which  they  felt  were  invoking  the  wrath 
of  an  angry  God,  and  from  which  there  could  be  no  relief 
but  in  his  pardoning  love.  Under  these  convictions  they 
were  driven  from  every  refuge  of  lies,  from  all  hope  of 
any  remedy,  but  the  one  divinely  provided ;  and  were  led 
to  seek  God's  way  out  of  their  difficulty. 

In  this  emergency  the  study  of  the  pastor  became  the 


CHURCH    WORK    IN    1 856.  1 47 

centre  of  interest  to  inquiring  souls.  With  such  a  sense 
of  peril,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  should  seek  the 
means  of  escape,  and  that,  finding  them,  they  should  em- 
brace and  chng  to  them  with  aU  the  tenacity  of  their 
awakened  convictions  and  fears.  Their  anxiety  was  in- 
tensified by  the  consciousness  of  the  fact  that  what  was  to 
be  done,  must  be  done  at  once.  Time  was  rapidly  pass- 
ing away;  their  opportunities  were  limited;  their  shore 
life  was  brief  at  best,  and  hence  the  intense  solicitude  to 
secure  the  favor  of  God  before  going  again  to  sea.  This 
desire  in  many  of  them  was  realized.  Many  more  were 
compelled  to  leave  while  yet  under  conviction  of  their 
sins.  These  were  urged  to  write  and  inform  us  of  the 
result.  In  some  instances  the  request  was  complied  with  : 
in  others  we  were  delighted  with  the  return  of  some  wan- 
derer, who,  in  his  absence,  had  found  his  Saviour  on  the 
sea,  and  who,  on  reaching  the  shore,  had  made  "  a 
straight  wake  "  for  the  church,  to  share  with  his  breth- 
ren in  Christ  the  exuberance  of  his  new-found  joy. 

Before  the  month  of  January  closed,  I  received  in  my 
study  two  hundred  and  forty-two  visits  from  seamen. 
The  missionary  and  m.yself  conversed  privately  on  the 
subject  of  personal  religion,  with  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
one  souls,  and  bowed  in  prayer  with  one  hundred  and 
ninety-three.  Thirty-three  of  these,  more  than  one  for^ 
each  day,  gave  cheering  evidence  that  they  had  passed 
from  death  unto  life.  There  were  also  seventy- three 
anxiously  asking  the  way  of  peace,  some  of  whom  went 
to  sea  exclaiming,  "  I  am  determined,  by  God's  help,  to 
live  a  new  life."  Others  left  behind  them  testimony  so  un- 
exceptionable, that  if  we  had  heard  of  the  deep  waters 
closing  over  them  forever,  we  should    have  confidently 


148  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

anticipated  meeting  them  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  The 
impetus  given  to  the  good  work  was  sustained  and  in- 
creased, so  that  at  each  monthly  communion  season,  we 
were  cheered  and  blessed,  not  only  with  rich  experiences 
of  ransomed  souls,  but  with  actual  additions  to  our  mem- 
bership, until,  by  December,  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
were  added  to  the  church  of  such  we  trust  as  were  saved. 
Some  idea  of  the  intelligence,  piety  and  missionary  zeal 
of  these  converts  may  be  deduced  from  their  after  lives. 
Under  the  date  of  April  9th,  1856,  a  young  German 
sailor,  who  had  but  recently  experienced  the  new  birth, 
wrote  me  from  Charlestown,  Mass.,  where  he  was  labor- 
ing as  a  missionary  among  seamen,  at  his  own  charges: 

"I  am  only  a  babe  in  Christ.  It  is  but  three  months  since  I 
became  a  child  of  God,  but  I  feel  happy  when  I  can  speak  a 
word  for  Christ,  and  tell  what  he  has  done  for  my  soul.  This 
makes  me  happier  than  if  I  was  the  richest  man  in  the  world.  I 
am  now  laboring  as  a  colporteur,  and  it  is  my  business  to  catch 
men,  as  Peter  did,  and  the  Lord  is  with  me.  There  is  more 
glory,  I  believe,  brought  to  God  in  the  return  of  one  straying 
sheep  to  the  fold  of  Christ,  than  there  is  in  the  conquest  of  the 
whole  world." 

In  a  later  communication  he  expresses  a  strong  desire 
to  study  for  the  ministry,  in  order  that,  being  intellectually 
furnished  for  the  work,  he  might  obtain  a  position  in  some 
heathen  seaport,  where  he  could  preach  to  the  natives  in 
their  own  tongue,  and  at  the  same  time  give  the  gospel  to 
the  seamen  as  they  reached  the  shores.  Still  later  he 
states  that  he  labored  for  some  months  as  a  colporteur  at 
his  own  expense,  but,  to  use  his  own  expressive  lan- 
guage, "  low  water  in  the  region  of  finance,"  compelled 
him  to  give  up  the  good  v/ork  and  go  to  sea  again  ;  still 


MISSIONARY    IN    CHINA.  I49 

however,  clinging  to  the  hope,  born  of  holy  desire,  that 
he  might  yet  preach  the  everlasting  gospel.  Nor  was 
this  a  vain  hope,  a  visionary  anticipation.  Originating 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  all  such  hopes  do,  it  was  nour- 
ished and  cultivated  by  the  power  that  conceived  it.  He 
subsequently  found  the  way  open  for  the  accomplishing  of 
his  purpose.  A  few  years  later,  having  completed  his 
studies,  the  following  notice  appeared  in  the  '^  New  York 
Examiner :" 

'*  History  OF  a  Missionary. — The  Rev.  Charles  Kreyer,  Mrs. 
Kreyer,  and  Miss  Fields,  recently  appointed  missionaries,  the 
former  to  China,  the  latter  to  Siam,  by  the  Missionary  Union, 
sailed  from  this  port  in  the  ship  'N.  B.  Palmer,'  for  their 
future  fields  of  labor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kreyer  will  be  stationed  at 
Ningpo,  and  Miss  Fields  at  Bangkok.  Mr.  Kreyer  is  a  Ger- 
man by  birth.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  tempted  by  the  love  of 
adventure,  he  left  home  for  this  countiy\  Here  he  shipped  as 
a  common  sailor  on  a  vessel  bound  to  the  East.  He  was  con- 
verted on  the  voyage,  and  was  baptized  in  China  by  one  of  the 
missionaries  of  the  Southern  Board.  With  a  sailor's  enthusiam 
he  gave  himself  to  Christian  labor,  at  his  own  charge,  first 
among  seamen  on  the  wharves  in  Boston,  then  in  China  among 
the  natives.  When  a  way  opened  for  him  to  obtain  an  educaf- 
tion,  he  embraced  it,  and  now,  after  completing  a  course  of 
study  at  Rochester,  he  has  sailed  for  China,  to  recommence  his 
work  there." 

Thus  another  of  these  apparently  hopeless  wanderers 
of  the  sea  becomes  a  subject  of  redeeming  grace,  and  is 
sciit  forth  to  the  heathen  world,  to  proclaim  the  glad  tid- 
ings of  great  joy  to  all  people.  These  are  however  but 
the  ''avant  coureurs,"of  the  advancing  hosts,  who  are  yet 
to  come  up  from  the  ocean  in  their  ships,  and  flood  the 


150  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

dark  places  of  the  earth  with  gospel  light.  Who  does  not 
pray  to  God  to  speed  the  day,  when  the  teeming  millions 
of  the  sea  shall  go  forth  as  living  epistles  of  the  truth  of 
God,  to  be  known  and  read  of  all  men? 

Another  young  sailor  of  German  extraction  having 
found  Christ  among  us,  and  being  compelled  to  lecive  be- 
fore uniting  with  the  church,  wrote  me  under  date  of  Au- 
gust 29th,  1856,  from  Liverpool : 

''My  heart  is  glad  and  my  soul  rejoices  in  the  goodness  of 
God,  whose  converting  grace  in  me,  has  led  me  to  give  myself 
up  wholly  to  Christ,  through  whom  I  have  received  more  than  I 
asked  for.  As  I  look  back  I  consider  the  time-  spent  among  the 
members  of  your  church  as  the  most  useful  and  happy  I  ever 
spent  in  my  life.  I  desire  to  engage  most  heartily  in  the  work 
of  winning  souls.  The  converting  grace  of  God  has  made  a 
great  change  in  me.  My  mind,  my  heart,  my  life,  my  affec- 
tions are  all  different  from  what  they  were  by  nature.  In  that 
state  I  had  no  peace  with  God,  no  intercourse,  no  Intercessor. 
I  found  myself  lost  forever,  and  there  was  no  human  power  that 
could  save  me.  But  the  Lord  would  not  let  me  perish. 
Therefore,  in  love  to  him,  I  now  bear,  everywhere,  a  living  testi- 
mony to  his  mercy  and  faithfulness,  and  persuade  men  to  think 
on  their  latter  end.  I  cannot  sufficiently  thank  God,  who  took 
such  a  poor  worm  as  I,  sunken  so  deep  in  sin  and  hard-heartcd- 
ness,  and  unbelief,  out  of  the  mire,  and  placed  me  where  I  could 
behold  the  glory  of  the  Gospel.  I  feel  so  wrapped  up  in  the  love, 
of  God,  and  in  the  desire  to  save  souls,  that  I  would  willingly  lose 
all,  to  keep  Christ.  I  will  patiently  bear  the  reproaches  and  scoffs 
of  my  shipmates,  trusting  in  God.  I  am  determined  to  go  for- 
ward, for  I  know  that  my  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  I 
rejoice  exceedingly  to  find  so  many  English  captains  and  mates 
converted.  I  hope  they  will  not  think  it  too  much  to  speak  a 
word  for  Christ,  who  shed  his  blood  for  us." 


SUCCESS   AMONG    SHIPMATES.  I5I 

Two  months  after  thus  writing,  he  returned  and  joined 
the  church,  entering  into  covenant  with  Christ  and  his  peo- 
ple to  spend  and  be  spent  for  his  glory.  This  vow  he 
faithfully  kept,  as  his  future  correspondence  shows.  In 
April  of  the  next  year,  he  calls  upon  me  to  be  a  partaker 
in  his  joy,  to  share  in  the  pleasure  of  his  success  among 
his  shipmates.      He  says  : 

"While  in  the  brig  D ,  I  asked  God  if  he  would  incline 

the  hearts  of  my  shipmates  to  hear  and  receive  his  word.  I  told 
them  all  my  message,  and  made  inquiries  into  the  state  of  their 
souls.  I  informed  them  that  I  had  made  a  covenant  with  God  in 
the  presence  of  his  people,  to  work  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ;  and 
if  they  would  agree  to  be  quiet  and  serious,  I  would  lead  in 
Divine  worship.  I  gathered  them  about  the  family  altar,  read 
the  scriptures,  and  prayed  to  the  Lord  to  help  them.  I  know  it 
warmed  their  hearts,  for  they  heartily  thanked  me,  and  urged 
me  to  repeat  the  service  the  following  evening.  I  therefore  con- 
tinued the  services,  though  not  without  exciting  the  enmity  of 
the  captain,  who  tried  to  shake  the  foundations  of  my  hope. 
But  I  have  drank  too  deeply  of  the  waters  of  salvation,  and  eaten  of 
the  bread  of  life  too  long  to  think  even  of  giving  up  my  sweet- 
meats now.  I  have  taken  up  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  am  deter- 
mined to  follow  him  to  the  end,  though  I  count  myself  but  one 
of  the  least  of  his  followers.  I  am  endeavoring  to  do  my  Master's 
work,  stirring  up  the  churches  to  pray  earnestly  that  the  spirit  of 
God  may  be  poured  out  abundantly  upon  the  sea,  in  order 
that  the  nations  may  be  brought  to  Christ,  and  his  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Pray  for  me.  The  Mariners'  churches 
in  Baltimore  and  in  Boston,  greeting  you,  pray  for  the  Divine 
blessing  upon  you." 

A  few  months  only,  after  this  record  of  faithful  effort 
and  earnest  longing,  our  young  missionary  sailor  was  called 
home  to  his  reward  in  heaven,  and  to  the  eternal  enjoy- 
ment of  the  presence  of  his  risen  Lord  : 


152  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

A  chief-officer  having  confessed  Christ,  and  united 
with  the  church,  wrote  as  he  was  leaving  our  shores,  in 
November,  1856  : 

'*We  are  now  '  a-weigh  '  for  London.  I  have  just  time  to 
drop  you  a  line  acknowledging  the  package  of  books  you  sent 
me.  My  fellow  officers  are  very  thankful  for  them,  R.emember 
us  all  in  your  prayers,  dear  pastor,  and  may  the  Father  of  Mercies 
bless  you  and  your  congregation.  God  grant  that  we  may  walk 
worthy  of  our  vocation,  with  all  lowliness  and  meekness,  gentle- 
ness, kindness,  and  brotherly  love,  one  toward  another,  with  hon- 
esty and  fidelity  toward  our  employers,  and  with  all  humility  and 
reverence  toward  our  God.  *  All  aboard, '  is  the  cry  from  the 
tug  boat.     Adieu  \" 

One  month  later,  December  1 8th,  he  added  : 

''We  had  a  very  severe  passage,  and  lost  one  man  overboard. 
He  fell  from  the  main  yard  during  a  hurricane.  The  sea  ran  so 
high  there  was  no  hope  of  saving  him.  It  was  heart-rending  to 
see  the  poor  fellow  struggling  with  the  billows,  and  yet  be  unable 
to  render  any  assistance.  How  uncertain  is  life  !  and  hov/  neces- 
sary that  we  should  be  prepared  to  meet  our  God  and  Saviour  ! 
How  merciful  he  has  been  to  me  and  mine  !  Should  we  not, 
daily  and  hourly,  offer  up  our  thanks  and  praise  to  Him.? 
Blessed  be  His  name  !  He  continues  to  watch  over  us  and  pro- 
tect us  ! 

"  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  ship  and  the  captain,  who 
is  a  pious  man.  I  have  felt  happier  this  passage  than  ever  before 
since  I  went  to  sea.  I  have  not  that  fear  in  hea\y  weather  that  I 
used  to  have,  for  I  now  know  that  God  is  with  me.  In  him  is 
my  trust.  If  he  calls  I  know  I  must  obey,  and  I  pray  that  I 
may  \)q  prepared  to  meet  him.  I  think  of  the  many  warnings 
I  have  had,  and  have  Rggliicted,  and  am  thankful  that  God  in 
mercy  has  spared  me. " 


A   YOUNG    ENGLISHMAN.  1 53 

Again,  a  young  Englishman,  to  whom  I  had  spoken 
concerning  his  soul,  at  our  first  interview,  fifteen  months 
before,  writes  from  Boston,  September  i8th,  1856  : 

' '  The  writer  of  this  is  a  stranger  to  you,  I  believe,  by  name, 
but  the  fact  that  I  am  a  sailor,  and  one  who  has  heard  and  pro- 
fited by  your  instructions,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  a  sufficient 
apology  for  the  libert}'  I  take  in  addressing  you,  and  asking  that 
you  will  permit  my  letters  to  be  left  in  your  care." 

It  may  seem  to  the  reader  a  matter  of  little  importance 
that  a  sailor  should  write  to  me  simply  to  request  the  fa- 
vor of  forwarding  his  letters  to  him  ;  but  it  should  be  sta- 
ted that  this  very  act  opened  up  the  way  for  me  to  pour 
into  his  soul  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  It  was  the  means 
of  his  conversion,  brought  him  into  membership  with  our 
church,  and  secured  for  us  and  for  our  enterprise  the  pray- 
ers of  his  distant  friends.  So  that  the  blessing  we  gave 
came  back  to  us  again.  His  next  letter  informed  us  of  the 
pleasure  he  felt  in  acquainting  us  with  the  fact  of  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  other  ports.      He  thus  writes  : 

*'  I  am  sure  you  will  rejoice  when  I  tell  you  that  yesterday  nine 
sailors  were  received  into  membership  with  the  Fort  Hill  Mari- 
ners' church,  all  of  whom  have  found  the  pearl  of  great  price 
since  the  opening  of  the  present  year.  Seven  others  rose  for 
prayer  in  the  evening.  As  for  myself,  I  am  pained  to  acknowl- 
edge my  weakness.  My  mind  is  sometimes  overcast ;  but  then, 
it  is  not  clouded  long,  and  I  am  cheered  by  the  assurance  that 
the  sun  that  enables  me  to  shape  my  course  anew,  will  never 
sink  below  the  horizon,  until  I  make  the  highlands  of  heaven. 
Though  none  may  presume  to  define  the  extent  to  which  our 
prayers  ax^ail  on  high,  we  both  believe  in  the  efficacy  of  the  fer- 
vent,  energetic  prayer  of  the  righteous,   which  availeth    much. 


154  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

May  I  beg  yours  in  my  behalf?     With  love  to  your  lady  and 
children.      Please  remember  me  as  one  of  your  spiritual  family. 

N.  D.  O." 

My  interest  in,  and  correspondence  with  this  young 
man,  and  with  many  hundreds  of  others,  was  continued 
through  a  series  of  years,  enabling  me,  through  my 
records,  to  keep  the  run  of  them  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  and  to  act  as  a  medium  of  communication  between 
them  and  their  relatives  in  other  lands.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  this,  I  insert  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  inquiry 
addressed  to  me  by  one  of  his  near  kinsmen  in  England : 

''  Rcfv.  and  Dear  Sir — Notwithstanding  the  very  sad  turmoil  in 
which  your  nation  has  been  so  long  engaged.  I  trust  that  your 
peaceful  profession  will  have  served  to  keep  you  individually  out 
of  it,  and  that  you  still  continue  the  loved  pastor  of  the  Mariners' 
church,  as  mentioned  to  me  by  Nigel  D'Oyley,  w^ho  found  shel- 
ter and  comfort  under  your  pastoral  care,  as  he  reported  to  me, 
three  or  four  years  ago.  His  kindred  in  this  country  have  lost 
sight  of,  and  all  intelligence  of  him  for  the  last  thirty  months. 
It  is  in  the  fear  that  some  misfortune  has  overtaken  him,  that  I  take 
the  liberty  of  writing,  to  ask  you  whether  you  know,  or  have 
heard  anything  of  him  during  that  period.  It  will  be  consider- 
ed a  great  favor  of  you,  sir,  to  afford  us  any  information  in  your 
power  respecting  our  lost  kinsman." 

I  was  in  possession  of  such  knowledge  of  the  absent,  as 
to  relieve  their  fears  and  to  convey  to  .them  the  desired 
information.  This  is  but  one  of  the  very  many  such 
inquiries  that  came  to  me,  and  that  serve  to  illustrate  the 
importance  of  such  a  centre  and  bureau  of  communica- 
tion as  my  study  afforded.  From  it  there  radiated 
in  every  direction,  lines  of  inteUigence  and  sympathy, 
which  extended  to  the  extreme  limits  of  the  globe.     Not 


LORD    HOWE'S    ISLAND.  155 

only  were  the  seaports  of  the  continent  reached  in  this 
way,  but  in  some  instances  the  most  distant  and  out-of- 
the-way  islands  of  the  sea. 

As  an  illustration  of  this,  I  quote  again  from  a  young 
man  who  was  converted  this  year,  in  May,  and  who 
carried  Christ  with  him  in  the  ship.  After  reaching  the 
antipodes,  he  wrote  me,  in  January,  1857,  from  Lord 
Howe's  Island,  lat.  16  50'  south,  long.  154''  21'  west, 
saying : 

"Our  captain  left  me  ashore  here,  sick.  There  are  but  few 
people  on  the  Island,  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  I  am  the  only 
professing  Christian  among  them,  except  a  few  Catholics.  I 
should  like  to  have  some  books  and  tracts  for  them.  A  great 
many  ships  from  the  United  States  touch  here.  I  was  a  ver}'  bad 
man  until  May  last.  Then  I  learned  that  I  had  a  God  to  serve, 
and  that  I  had  lived  a  great  while  too  long  in  sin.  God  opened 
my  heart,  and  told  me  that  I  had  a  soul  to  save,  a  hell  to  shun, 
and  a  heaven  to  gain.  On  our  passage  out,  all  our  officers  were 
professors  of  religion,  and  ten  of  the  men  before  then^ast.  We 
had  meeting  ever}^  Sunday,  in  the  cabin,  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  and  in  the  forecasde  in  the  afternoon,  the  captain  being 
the  leader.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  you.  Please  address 
as  above." 

One  other  instance  of  this  volunteer  service  on  the 
part  of  converted  sailors,  and  in  behalf  of  their  roving 
companions,  occurs  to  me  in  this  connection.  A  young 
man  who  had  been  engaged  in  whaling,  and  who  had 
himself  felt  the  power  of  saving  grace,  devoted  his  time 
voluntarily  to  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow  whale- 
men in  New  Bedford.  On  October  2nd,  1857,  he  wrote 
me: 

*'  I  am  endeavoring  to  do  the  work  which  the  good  Lord  has 
given  me  to  do  here,   among  the  outward  bound.     I  have  also 


156  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

been  teaching  in  the  Sabbath-school  during  the  last  three 
months.  The  superintendent  is  giving  her  whole  time  to  the 
spiritual  interests  of  seamen.  She  distributes  books  and  tracts, 
Bibles  and  religious  papers  am.ong  them,  and  puts  up  parcels  of 
books  to  send  to  sea.  I  have  been  assisting  her  ever  since  I 
came  here,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  I  go  to  sea,  which  I 
hope  to  do  the  beginning  of  next  month.  I  have  shipped  in  a 
barque  belonging  to  Fair  Haven,  bound  to  the  Okhotsk  and 
Arctic  Seas.  I  have  shipped  for  forty  months,  but  hope  to  be 
homeward-bound  in  twenty.  Till  we  sail,  I  shall  continue  in 
this  good  work.  During  the  time  spent  here,  I  have  distributed 
two  hundred  English  Testaments,  forty-seven  in  Spanish,  and 
thirteen  in  Portuguese,  besides  packages  of  tracts,  papers,  pam- 
phlets, and  books.  I  am  running  low,  how^ever,  and  I  hope  you 
may  be  able  to  help  me  ;  a  large  supply  is  needed,  and  if  I  can- 
not get  a  donation,  I  wdll  buy  them  myself,  for  I  feel  that  this 
is  a  work  that  must  be  done.  I  have  bought  all  the  Testaments 
that  were  in  the  Bible  rooms  here,  and  must  look  for  a  supply 
from  you  or  some  one  else,  to  meet  the  demand. " 

It  will  be  readily  perceived  that  a  young  man,  with  the 
spirit  of  missions  so  largely  developed  and  so  persistently 
urging  him  on,  must  have  been  a  valuable  acquisition  to 
the  crew  of  the  barque  in  which  he  was  to  labor  for  the 
next  forty  months,  perhaps.  He  will  hear,  doubtless, 
when  life's  voyage  is  ended,  from  the  Captain  of  his  sal- 
vation :  *'  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

Another,  which  came  somewhat  later,  from  a  Swedish 
sailor,  in  lUinois,  tells  the  same  story  of  a  blessed  change, 
and  shows  also  the  missionary  spirit  of  those  who  became 
allied  to  God  and  his  cause  through  our  Bethel  work. 
"  Rev.  Chas.  J.  Jones  : 

''Dear  Brother — Your  kind  favor  w^as  received  by  me  last 
spring.      Accept  from   me  the  sincere  thanks  of  a  heart  which 


THE    BETHEL    WORK.  1 5/ 

owes  all  its  hopes  of  a  glorious  immortality  to  the  Bethel 
cause.  ]May  the  Lord  God  Almighty  reward  and  bless  you  in 
all  your  labors  and  trials,  physical  and  spiritual,  and  make  you 
ta2  instrument  in  his  hands  of  leading  many  sons  and  daughters 
to  gloiy^  I  have  come  to  love  you  ;  for  when  I  was  alone,  a 
poor  orphan  boy,  oppressed  beyond  all  conception  with  the  bur- 
den of  my  sins,  your  missionary  led  my  feeble  steps  to  Jesus 
Christ  O,  what  righteousness,  what  sanctification,  what  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghust,  I  found  in  him  !  Blessed  be  the  name  of  Je- 
sus !  It  would  be  good  to  spend  a  life  in  his  S3rvic3,  even  if 
there  was  no  hereaftar.  It  would  be  a  blessed,  thrice  blessed 
thing  to  die  for  his  cause  ! 

*  *  Go  on,  dear  brother,  in  your  labor  of  love.  I  will  labor 
here  on  the  prairies  of  Illinois  until  my  Master  calls  me  else- 
where. You  toil  on,  with  the  sons  of  the  sea,  and  I  with  the 
rugged  farmers  of  the  West.  It  is  a  precious  thing  to  labor  for 
Christ,  to  win  souls.  It  is  exceedingly  precious  !  ]\Iay  the 
Lord  God  be  with  you  and  bless  you,  keep  you  and  those  he 
has  given  you,  till  he  makes  up  his  jewels,  and  we  all  meet  in 
the  fellowship  of  Christ  Jesus,  where  we  shall  part  no  more. 

"G.  A.  S." 

PRAYER   IN   THE    HATCH-HOUSE. 

In  the  spring  of  1856, 1  became  acquainted  with  and  in- 
terested in  a  young  Scotch  sailor,  about  twenty- four  years 
of  age,  who  was  before  the  mast  in  a  steamship  plying  to 
Liverpool.  I  met  him  at  the  church  service,  invited  him 
to  my  house,  and  found  him  an  humble,  earnest  Christian, 
just  in  the  flush  of  his  early  love.  He  had  been  convert- 
ed nearly  two  years  before,  and  appeared  quite  anxious 
to  be  about  his  Master's  business.  His  piety,  zeal  and 
genial  demeanor  made  me  desirous  of  knowing  some- 
thing of  his  early  history.  Ever  since  my  own  conversion 
a  sailor  who  loved  my  Saviour  had  been  an  object  of 


158  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

deep  interest  to  me.  My  soul  was  drawn  out  to  this 
young  man.  I  exhorted  him  to  Christian  faithfulness, 
and  induced  him  to  enter  into  correspondence  with  me, 
in  his  absence  from  port ;  hoping  by  this  means  to  be 
of  service  to  him,  and  at  the  same  time,  gather  material 
with  which  to  illustrate  to  others,  the  wonderful  grace  of 
God,  as  displayed  in  the  rescue  of  perishing  souls.  I  was 
anxious  too,  in  all  such  cases,  to  trace  the  various  steps 
by  which  the  sinner  had  been  brought  back  to  his  alle- 
giance to  Christ,  to  learn  the  way  in  which  the  covenant 
faithfulness  of  God  had  been  displayed  in  his  salvation, 
and  the  nature  of  the  instrumentalities  which  had  been 
blest  to  that  end.  I  found  here,  as  in  so  many  other  in- 
stances, that  the  divine  influence  was  traceable  to  early 
religious  instruction  at  home,  and  in  the  Sabbath- school, 
combined  with  the  pious  example  of  loved  ones  in  the 
family  circle,  and  confirmed  by  a  long  train  of  circum- 
stances, in  which  the  hand  of  God  had  been  leading  him, 
all  unknown  to  himself.  He  was  the  "  son  of  parents 
passed  into  the  skies."  His  history,  in  brief,  as  I  received 
it  from  his  own  lips,  and  which  he  subsequently  wrote 
out,  at  my  request,  was  as  follows  : 

"I  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1832.  My  parents 
died  when  I  was  about  five  years  old  ;  after  which  I  was  brought 
up  by  my  grandparents,  who  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Every  night  the  family  was  gathered  for  divine  worship 
—  I  never  knew  it  to  be  neglected.  Under  their  roof,  my  moral 
character  was  strictly  guarded.  I  was  early  sent  to  the  Sabbath- 
school,  and  there  obtained  such  conceptions  of  God  and  his  at- 
tributes, that  I  found  it  impossible  in  after  years  to  be  an  infidel, 
though  I  tried  to  make  myself  believe  thU  there  was  no  God. 

"As  I  began  to  read  of  foreign  countries,  there  sprung  up  within 
me  an  intense  desire  to  visit  them.     My  grandparents  and  friends 


SERIOUS   CONVICTIONS.  1 59 

strove  in  vain  to  divert  my  mind  from  that  object.  After  several 
attempts  to  obtain  a  ship,  I  at  length  succeeded.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1846,  when  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  I  walked  from 
my  home  to  Glasgow,  nine  milea,  and  was  bound  as  an  appren- 
tice to  the  brig  '  Amanda, '  bound  to  Marseilles,  and  sailed  in  a 
few  days.  I  continued  to  follow  the  sea  for  ten  years,  visiting 
different  parts  of  the  world,  and  leading,  for  the  most  part,  a  life 
of  unrestrained  wickedness.  I  need  not  go  into  detail,  as  eveiy 
one  who  follows  the  sea  knows  what  kind  of  a  life  men  lead,  who 
are  exposed  to  so  many  dangers,  and  deprived  of  all  religious  ad- 
vantages. Many  a  time  I  reflected  seriously  upon  my  manner  of 
life,  and  thought  of  what  my  fate  must  be  if  I  were  suddenly  taken 
away  by  death.  Often  I  made  up  my  mind  to  do  better.  At  such 
times,  while  at  sea,  I  refrained  from  swearing  as  much  as  I  could. 
I  read  my  Bible,  and  made  fair  promises  of  amendment.  But 
when  I  came  on  shore,  alas  !  alas  !  My  good  resolutions  went 
to  the  winds.  Instead  of  going  to  the  house  of  God,  I  found 
myself  in  the  house  of  shame.  The  trouble  was,  I  leaned  too 
much  upon  my  own  strength  ;  I  desired  to  be  a  Christian,  but 
was  not  willing  to  submit  myself  to  God's  way.  The  result  was, 
all  my  efforts  at  self-reformation  were  unavailing,  until  I  was 
brought  to  apply  to  the  throne  of  grace  for  help  in  my  time  of 
need. 

' '  Thus  matters  run  along  for  about  eight  years.  During  a  voy- 
age from  New  Orleans  to  Liverpool,  I  was  the  subject  of  serious 
convictions  again.  I  then  determined  to  pursue  a  sinful  course 
no  longer.  I  would  become  a  better  man,  and  shun  a  drunk- 
ard's grave.  On  reaching  Liverpool  I  walked  straight,  in  my 
own  estimation,  for  five  days,  but  never  thought  of  entering  a 
place  of  worship.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  I  was  induced 
by  my  shipmates  to  visit  a  house  where  they  spent  a  great  part  of 
their  time.  Liquor  and  cards  were  introduced,  and  I  v/as  re- 
quested to  join  them  in  their  revels.  The  temptation  was  too 
powerful  for  poor  human  strength  to  resist.  I  yielded  !  my  res- 
olutions were  all  upset.     I  became  worse  than  ever  before.     In 


l60  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

fact  I  came  to  look  upon  myself  as  a  ruined  man,  beyond  the 
hope  or  possibility  of  recovery.  Soon  after  this  I  joined  a  ship 
bound  to  New  York.  On  the  first  Sabbath  out,  Captain  Day,  of 
Salem,  Mass. ,  brought  some  tracts  to  the  forecastle,  and  laid  them 
down  upon  my  chest  while  I  was  eating  my  breakfast ;  saying,  as 
he  did  so,  '  Read  these  ;  they  will  do  you  no  harm.'  I  picked  up 
one  of  th3m,  as  did  also  some  others,  and  began  to  read.  The 
rest  of  the  crew  ridiculed  us.  The  effect  on  my  mind  was  very 
different  from  theirs.  I  felt  that  God  was  giving  me  another  call. 
I  had  neglected  his  house  and  commandments  too  long  ;  and 
now  determined  to  change  my  course. 

''I  searched  for  my  Bible,  which  had  been  given  to  me  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  French,  of  Portland,  Maine,  two  years  before.  It  had 
been  carefully  stowed  away  in  the  bottom  of  my  chest.  1  now 
began  to  read  it,  and  wanted  to  pray  for  a  blessing  on  it ;  but  was 
ashamed  to  be  seen  kneeling  in  the  presence  of  others.  All  that 
day  I  was  miserable.  When  night  came,  I  slipped  unnoticed 
into  the  hatch-house — where  we  kept  the  studding-sail  gear — and 
tried  to  pray  ;  but  the  heavens  seemed  as  brass  over  my  head,  and 
my  feeble  utterances  appeared  to  be  unheeded.  In  fact  I  fancied 
that  my  words  of  entreaty  fell  down  like  pieces  of  lead  in  the 
rope  upon  which  I  was  kneeling.  I  imagined  that  a  voice  said 
to  me,  '  See  how  wicked  you  have  been  !  You  are  a  lost  soul.' 
I  felt  that  it  was  all  too  true,  and  therefore  concluded  that  there 
was  no  forgiveness  for  so  wicked  a  sinner  as  I  was.  Just  then  I 
thought  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.  He  had  been  a  great  sinner,  yet  he 
A^und  pardon  through  the  atonement  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  ■ 
Perhaps  there  might  also  be  mercy  for  me  ;  and  I  cried  out  : 
'  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? '  During  the  rest  of  the  passage  I 
to  New  York  I  kept  trying  to  mend  my  ways,  and  praying  to  God 
for  help.  I  had  in  my  possession  a  book  given  to  me  by  a  Catho- 
lic shipmate,  who  had  no  need,  he  said,  for  a  Protestant  book. 
It  was  the  autobiography  of  a  Wesleyan  minister,  and  did  m  3  good 
service. 

* '  Feeling  ashamed  to  take  my  Bible  on  deck,  I  used  this  as  a 


NOW    OR   NEVER.  l6l 

substitute  ;  an  inferior  one,  it  is  true,  but  it  suggested  religious 
thought,  and  gave  food  to  my  m^ditition.  Yet  my  Bible  was 
my  chief  delight.  On  reaching  New  York,  I  determined  to 
break  away  from  all  evil  influences  and  companions,  and  attend 
the  house  of  God.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  my  frequent 
failures  in  regard  to  holy  living  grew  out  of  a  notion  that  I 
could  do  well  enough  without  going  to  church.  One  could 
read  his  Bible  and  pray,  and  refrain  from  swearing  without  at- 
tending the  house  of  God.  I  now  saw  that  I  was  wrong,  and 
resolved  to  do  so  no  more.  Bright  and  early  one  Sabbath 
morning  I  set  out  from  my  boarding-house,  with  the  pur- 
po3e  of  attending  divine  service.  I  was  too  early— and  resolved 
on  a  short  walk.  One  of  the  men  went  with  me,  and  in  passing 
a  grog-shop,  said  to  me,  '  Come,  John,  let  us  have  some  liquor.' 
I  had  not  the  moral  courage  to  decline  ;  but  on  reaching  the 
bar  called  for  a  glass  of  milk,  so  that  I  might  not  offend  him  by 
refusing  to  drink  with  him.  After  this  I  left  the  house  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  a  church  door  just  as  the  service  was  about  to 
commence.  Instead  of  going  in,  however,  I  went  past.  '  Is  it 
possible,'  I  asked  myself,  'after  all  my  resolutions  and  prayers, 
that  I  am  to  go  to  sea  again  without  making  the  attempt  to  serve 
God  in  his  sanctuary .?'  While  this  questioning  was  going  on 
within,  it  was  as  if  a  voice  said  in  my  ear,  '  Aozu  or  nevcr  /'  I 
responded,  '  It  shall  be  A'ow  f 

"  I  resolved  to  take  a  walk  round  the  block  until  the  singing 
commenced,  that  I  might  pass  in  unnoticed.  When  I  reached 
the  door  again  I  trembled  like  a  leaf.  I  did  not  knov/  v^^hether  i 
sailor  would  be  welcome  ;  but  noticing  a  little  negro  boy  in  the 
second  pew  from  the  door,  I  thought,  they  will  at  least  allow  me 
to  go  in  there.  I  accordingly  seated  myself  in  that  pew.  At 
the  close  of  the  service  I  felt  that  God  had  blest  me,  and  as  I  left 
the  house  said  to  myself  in  a  suppressed  voice,  '  Praise  God  ! 
Praise  God  !'  I  attended  church  in  the  evening,  and  on  the 
following  Tuesday  left  for  Charleston,  S.  C. 

"  Before  leaving  I  purchased  a  book  called  '  Seven  Lectures 
II 


I62  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

to  Youn:^  Men,'  from  the  perusal  of  which  I  derived  much  plea- 
sure and  profit.  While  on  the  passage  I  was  deeply  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  I  should  one  day  preach  the  gospel.  Yet  I 
thought,  the  thing  is  impossible.  I  am  before  the  mast ;  without 
means,  without  education,  without  natural  ability  for  that  high 
office.     The  idea  must  be  abandoned  at  once  and  forever. 

* '  There  was  no  getting  rid  of  the  thought,  however,  do  what 
I  would.  I  therefore  began  to  pray  over  it,  asking  God,  if  it 
was  his  will  that  I  should  preach,  to  open  the  way ;  but  if  not,  to 
take  away  the  desire  for  so  high  and  honorable  an  office.  While 
reading  my  Bible,  a  day  or  two  after  this,  I  read  these  words  : 
'  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  if  a  man  desire  the  office  of  a  bishop, 
he  desireth  a  good  work.'  The  passage  appeared  so  applicable 
to  my  case  that  I  at  once  concluded  that  the  Lord  had  directed 
my  attention  to  that  very  portion    for  my  guidance. " 

On  returning  to  New  York,  my  young  friend  united 
with  the  Methodist  Church,  rejoicing  that  he  was  counted 
worthy  to  be  numbered  with  Christ's  flock.  On  his 
next  voyage  he  visited  Charleston  again,  and  while  there 
attended  church,  at  which  the  minister  who  preached 
took  for  his  text  the  story  of  the  conversion  of  Saul,  and 
made  it  the  basis  of  a  discourse  in  answer  to  two  ques- 
tions :  1st,  What  is  conversion?  2d,  What  is  a  call  to  the 
ministry  ? 

In  relating  this  event  to  me  afterwards,  he  said  : 

"  If  I  had  told  him  beforehand  of  the  thoughts  which  had  been 
passing  through  my  mind,  he  could  not  more  fully  have  satisfied 
my  doubts.  In  the  course  of  his  sermon,  he  said,  '  I  am  con- 
fident that  there  is  in  this  congregation,  at  this  time,  a  young 
man  who  is  called  to  th-  ministr>^  B^  not  afraid,  the  Lord  will 
open  up  vour  wav.'  Thus  far  I  hnd  listened  with  frreat  attention  ; 
and  when  h'^  said.  'B^  not  afraid,'  I  thoiTrht  it  too  rood  ne\vs  to 
be  true.     I  drew  a  long  breath  as  he  closed,  and  said  to  myself, 


ENTERS    COLLEGE.  163 

'  I  can  never  do  that.      If  ever  I  am  able  to  stand  up  and  preach 
in  the  pulpit  it  will  be  a  miracle.'" 

Yet,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  that  young  sailor,  before 
ten  years  passed  away,  did  stand  in  that  very  pulpit  and 
preach  the  everlasting  gospel,  and  told  the  people  what 
great  things  God  had  done  for  his  soul  in  that  church 
while  yet  a  sailor.  How  it  came  about  I  will  now  stat^. 
Nearly  two  years  passed  away  after  his  conversion  before 
the  desire  of  his  soul  was  attained.  In  March,  1856,  he 
saihd  for  Liverpool  in  the  steamship  'Canadian.'  What 
followed,  how  the  Lord  led  him  by  a  way  which  he  knew 
not,  and  which  was  not  of  his  own  seeking,  how  he 
removed  all  obstacles  out  of  his  way,  and  provided  for 
his  entering  upon  a  course  of  study  for  the  ministry,  is 
told  in  the  following  letter,  which,  to  my  surprise,  I 
received  from  Victoria  College,  Coburg,  Canada,  under 
date  of  August  30th,  1856  : 

* '  yJ/y  Dear  Brother  in  Christ — Having  promised  to  write  to  you 
and  tell  you  how  and  where  I  am,  I  now  fulfil  my  promise,  ctl- 
though  not  quite  so  soon  as  I  intended.  When  I  reached  Liv- 
erpool, in  the  'Canadian,'  I  left  her,  and  went  home  to  Glas- 
gow, to  see  my  friends,  and  to  procure,  if  possible,  a  berth  in  an 
American  vessel,  that  I  could  leave  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
Failing  in  this,  I  went  back  to  Liverpool  and  joined  my  old  ship, 
as  sh3  was  bound  to  Montreal.  I  found,  however,  that  I  must 
sign  articles  to  return  to  Liverpool.  That  I  did  not  w^ant,  be- 
cause I  desired  to  remain  in  America.  My  shipmates  urged  me 
to  sign  the  articles,  get  my  half  month's  pay,  and  then  run, 
when  I  got  over  on  this  side.  But  that  would  not  satisfy  my 
conscience  now.  I  tnerefore  proposed  to  the  captain  to  work 
my  passage  to  Montreal.  He  consented,  after  I  explained  to 
him  my  reasons  for  the  request. 

*'  We  sailed  on  the  7th  of  May,  bound  to  Quebec  and  Montreal, 


1 64  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

with  passengers.  As  God  would  have  it,  there  was  among  the 
cabin  passengers  a  Mr.  Edmonson,  of  Montreal,  part  owner  of 
one  of  the  lines  of  steamers  plying  between  that  city  and  Eu- 
rope. It  appears,  now,  that  during  the  passage,  the  captain  had 
been  paying  particular  attention  to  my  conduct,  and  had  spoken 
of  me  to  Mr.  E.  This  I  learned  afterwards.  Meanwhile  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  to  sail  on  the  lakes  during  summer,  and  earn 
money  to  pay  my  schooling  in  the  winter.  As  soon  as  we  arrived 
I  lashed  up  my  chest,  bade  my  shipmates  good-bye,  and  repair- 
ed to  the  steamer  bound  for  Toronto.  But,  finding  that  I  had 
an  hour  to  spare  before  she  sailed,  I  ran  back  to  the  ship,  to 
thank  the  captain  for  my  passage.  While  doing  so,  he  inter- 
rupted me  by  saying  that  he  had  been  speaking  to  Mr.  E.  about 
me,  and  that  he  wished  me  to  see  him.  At  that  moment  the 
captain  turned  to  Mr.  E.  and  said, '  This  is  the  young  man  of 
w4iom  I  spoke  as  giving  me  such  satisfaction.'  Mr.  E.  asked 
me  to  what  denomination  I  belonged,  and  some  other  questions  ; 
and  then  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  visit  some  gendemen 
in  the  city.  But  as  some  were  absent  whom  he  desired  to  in- 
troduce me  to,  he  suggested  that  I  had  better  go  to  Toronto,  and 
he  would  write  me  there.  At  Toronto  I  engaged  on  board  a 
vessel  for  a  month,  after  which  I  received  a  letter  requesting  me 
to  report  to  a  minister  in  that  city  for  instructions.  He  took 
me  to  the  President  of  the  Conference,  who  stated  that  the  Mon- 
treal Circuit  had  agreed  to  assume  the  expense  of  my  studies  for 
one  year." 

Here  then  our  dear  brother  was  fairly  afloat,  launched 
forth  on  a  prosperous  tide,  and  heading  for  the  long- 
desired  and  wished-for  goal.  Eight  years  rolled  away 
from  the  date  of  his  Canadian  letter,  before  I  heard 
again  from  my  young  Scotch  friend.  In  the  winter  of 
1864  I  received  an  account  of  the  completion  of  his  stud- 
ies, and  his  entrance  en  the  work  of  the  ministry.  In 
referring  to  the  way  in  which  God  had  led  him,  he  says : 


BLESSED    OF    GOD.  I65 

"Without  asking  a  single  person  for  assistance,  or  even  hint- 
ing at  such  a  thing,  my  way  was  opened  up  so  that  I  went  to  the 
University  of  Canada  West,  and  at  the  expiration  of  six  years 
took  my  degree  of  B.  A.  Since  that  time  I  have  been,  and  still 
am  laboring  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  not  among  seamen,  as 
my  inclinations  would  lead  me  ;  but  I  hope  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  a  door  in  that  direction  will,  if  it  be  the  will  of  God, 
be  opened.  If  not,  I  am  content  to  be  placed  where  the  voice 
of  the  church  sees  fit  to  call  me.  In  the  mean  time  I  can  never 
be  unmindful  of  the  sons  of  the  Ocean.  I  frequently  pray  for  the 
hastening  of  the  time  when  the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be 
converted  to  God. 

* '  To  moralize  on  the  foregoing  is  no  part  of  my  purpose,  as  I 
think  that  a  simple  narration  of  facts  has  more  weight  than  vol- 
umes of  argument.  Should  the  story  of  God's  dealing  witn  me 
meet  the  public  eye,  I  hope  it  will  be  the  means  of  strengthen- 
ing believers  in  the  faith,  and  of  inducing  some  poor  sailor  to  flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come. " 

Sixteen  years  rolled  away  after  the  receipt  of  the 
above,  during  which  I  heard  nothing  of  my  brother.  In 
June,  1880,  having  a  desire  to  know  of  his  whereabouts, 
I  wrote  a  note  to  the  Victoria  University,  Coburg,  Ca., 
making  inquiry  for  him.  By  return  of  mail  I  received  a 
note,  saying,  "  Rev.  John  Salmon  is  now  a  Congregation- 
al minister,  living  at  Embro,  Oxford  Co.,  Ontario,  Ca." 
I  v/rote  at  once  to  the  foregoing  address,  and  almost  im- 
mediately received  a  note  in  reply,  dated  June  19,  1880, 


' '  I  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  receive  your  welcome  letter. 
How  kind  is  our  heavenly  Father  to  preserve  us  thus  far,  and  to 
use  us  in  any  manner  to  do  his  will  !  Since  I  took  my  degree 
of  B.  A.,  in  1862,  I  have  been  engaged  in  preaching  the  Gospel 
in  different  parts  of  Canada,  vdth  occasional  visits  to  the  United 


1 66  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

States.  The  first  few  years  of  my  ministry  I  was  not  much  used 
in  God's  work.  The  reason  was,  that  I  liad  m.ore  desire  to  honor 
John  Salmon  than  I  had  to  honor  the  jMaster.  But  I  got  an 
hum.bhng  about  twelve  years  ago,  and  since  that  time,  not  a  year 
has  passed,  without  evidence  of  the  Lord's  approval  of  my  v/ork. 
I  am  frequently  asked  by  neighboring  pastors  and  evangelists  to 
engage  in  evangelistic  work.  I  usually,  if  possible,  enter  every 
open  door.  The  Lord  has  given  mca  good  constitution,  so  that 
I  have  held  as  many  as  four  meetings  a  day,  during  last  winter  ; 
and  I  tell  you  it  is  blessed  to  see  the  Lord's  work — apart  from 
all  excitement,  backed  by  the  spirit  of  God — producing  conviction 
of  sin,  and  leading  the  sinner  to  a  knowledge'  of  Christ,  as  his 
own  personal  Saviour. 

''I  had  the  privilege — for  such  I  esteem  it — of  preaching 
while  in  Montreal  recently  to  a  few  sailors.  How  my  heart  was 
moved  tov/ard  them  !  I  recalled  the  years  now  passed,  when  in 
the  same  port,  after  my  conversion,  1  overcame  the  habit  of 
smoking.  This  occurred  while  I  was  before  the  mast,  in  a  sailing 
ship.  On  going  home,  after  preaching  to  those  seamen,  I  was 
happier  than  I  can  describe.  I  feel  as  if  I  would  like  to  be  preach- 
ing among  them  all  the  time.  I  have  been  in  my  present  charge 
seven  years.  Two  weeks  ago  I  resigned,  being  decided  in  my 
conviction  that  the  Lord  has  some  other  field  of  labor  for  me. 
Since  then  I  have  been  unanimously  requested  by  the  seven 
deacons,  and  the  people,  to  withdraw  my  resignation.  Should 
*you  know  of  any  open  door  among  seamen,  I  should  be  glad  to 
hear  of  it,  and  enter  it,  if  it  proved  to  be  the  will  of  God.  I  am 
resolved,  however,  until  then,  to  work  av/ay  in  my  present  field, 
striving  to  win  souls  for  Christ.  May  the  adorable  Lord  whom 
we  serve  aid  us  to  be  very  much  devoted  to  himself,  that  we  may 
glorify  him  day  by  day — is  the  prayer  of  your  brother  in  him, 

J.  s." 

With  such  blessed  results  from  a  single  tract,  who  will 
despise  the  day  of  small  things  ? 


BLESSED    OF   GOD.  1 6/ 

The  last  trace  of  this  dear  brother  is  dated  Nov.  6th, 
1883.     He  wrote  from  Toronto,  Canada: 

' '  I  am  on  my  way  to  Jamaica,  W.  I. ,  on  an  evangelistic  tour  of 
a  few  months.  I  will  try  to  call  on  you,  if  possible,  in  memory 
of  old  times,  when  I  was  a  sailor  boy. 

''Yours  in  Christ,  John  Salmon." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    WAY    TO    THE    KINGDOM    OF    HEAVEN. 

Important  question — Dirt  and  rags — Sense  of  sin — Choice  of  profession — 
A  Godless  youth — Cast  away — Struggling  with  the  waves — Chief  officer 
— Before  the  mast — Religious  captain — Cast  away  again — In  command 
— Again  before  the  mast— Pumping  day  and  night — Miraculous  escape 
— Debauchery  and  shame— In  command  again — Hell  upon  earth — On 
Long  Beach — Boat  capsized— Hundreds  of  sharks— Once  more  on  the 
quarter-deck— A  changed  man — Married — Sickness  and  poverty — Stead- 
fast, unmurmuring— Death  among  strangers,  in  1865 — The  heart  opened 
—The  dying  message— Happy  death— Sailors  grateful— "Sick  and  ye 
visited  me  "—Songs  in  the  night — A  ministering  angel — Seamen 
accessible— "  Sailors'  companion  "—One  of  Christ's  babes— Young 
Spaniard. 

At  the  close  of  the  evening  service  in  the  church  on 
Sabbath,  September  28th,  1856,  a  sailor,  very  much 
under  the  influence  of  liquor,  pushed  his  way  toward  the 
pulpit,  as  the  audience  was  going  out,  and  asked  me  in  a 
loud  tone  if  I  could  tell  him  "  the  way  to  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  ?"  I  answered  him  tenderly,  and  pointed 
him  to  ''  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world."  After  a  few  words  of  counsel,  I  invited 
him  to  call  and  see  me  in  my   office  on   the  next  day, 


1 68  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

proffering  my  services  to  help  him  on  the  way,  to  the 
best  of  my  abihty.  He  seemed  grateful,  and  promised 
he  would  come.  The  questioner  was  miserably  clad,  and 
dirty,  as  if  he  had  just  crawled  out  of  the  gutter  ;  his  hair 
long  and  matted,  his  beard  unshorn,  his  face  bloated,  his 
eyes  bleared  and  bloodshot.  In  short,  he  looked  like 
one  who  was  at  the  latter  end  of  a  prolonged  debauch. 
But  under  all  the  dirt  and  rags,  there  was  a  man — a  sailor 
man,  for  whom  my  Saviour  died.  This  was  enough  to 
secure  my  interest  in  him.  Had  I  not  been  there 
myself?  Had  not  my  blessed  Lord  taken  me  from  the 
horrible  pit  and  miry  clay  ?  Here  then  was  my  legiti- 
mate work — to  point  him?  no,  not  to  point  him  only, 
but  to  lead  him  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  next  day  he  came  to  see  me.  He  had  great  dif- 
ficulty to  keep  his  emotion  in  check.  He  wept,  and  said 
he  feared  he  was  so  great  a  sinner  that  Christ  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him,  and  that  it  was  too 
late.  I  endeavored  to  comfort  him,  bowed  in  prayer 
with  him,  and  for  him,  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  ''  Anx- 
ious Inquirer,"  and  some  tracts,  and  requested  him  to 
call  daily  for  instruction.  The  next  day  he  came  again. 
I  took  him  to  my  home,  and  introduced  him  to  my  wife 
and  children.  Here  I  learned  more  of  his  history.  It 
was  indeed  a  wonderful  story.  Yet  nothing  could  be 
more  wonderful  than  the  subsequent  history  of  his  moral 
recovery,  his  union  with  the  church,  after  two  years' 
trial,  in  October,  1858,  his  godly  life,  and  his  final  entrance 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  above,  which  is  opened 
only  to  all  believers. 

As  to  his  past  life.  He  was  born  in  Cork,  Ireland,  in 
June,  1825.     He  was  consequently  in  his  thirty-second 


i  CHOICE   OF    PROFESSION.  1 69 

year  when  he  first  came  to  me,  though  he  looked  forty 
at  least ;  he  had  so  abused  himself.  While  yet  a  child 
his  parents  emigrated  to  Buenos  Ayres,  South  America. 
There  his  mother  died,  and  her  loss  to  him  must  have  been 
very  great.  At  ten  years  of  age,  he  was  sent  to  England 
and  placed  in  an  academy  at  Liverpool.  His  choice  of 
a  profession  being  left  to  himself,  he  preferred  the  Hfe  of 
a  sailor,  and  went  to  sea  with  his  brother-in-law,  Captain 

B ,  who,  though  not  a  Christian  man,  was  anxious  to 

have  his  young  relative  familiar  with  Holy  Writ,  and 
therefore  required  him  to  read  two  or  three  chapters  in 
the  Bible  every  Sabbath. 

After   making   two   voyages   around  the   world   with 

Capt.    B ,   he   returned   to  Liverpool  and  joined  an 

Indiaman,  commanded  by  a  gentleman,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family,  and  who  treated  him  well.  In  Bombay 
his  new  captain  required  him  to  attend  divine  service  on 
shore,  every  Sabbath.  He  feared,  however,  that  there 
was  more  of  the  outward  observance,  than  of  the  inward 
grace,  and  that  consequently  he  was  but  little  benefited 
by  his  church-going. 

The  voyage  over,  he  was  in  Liverpool  again,  and 
joined  a  Valparaiso  trader,  as  second  officer.  In  her  he 
made  several  voyages  to  the  West  Coast,  during  all 
of  which  time  the  thought  of  God  never  once  disturbed 
his  mind.  To  use  his  own  words,  written  to  me  some 
months  afterwards,  he  says  : 

"Infidel-like,  I  cared  all  for  the  body  and  nothing  for  the 
soul.  But  lately  it  has  pleased  God  to  touch  my  most  obdurate 
heart.  And  now  I  hope  that  by  his  divine  grace  and  wisdom,  I 
may  be  enabled  to  bring  others,  especially  my  fellow-seamen,  to 
feel  as  I  at  this  moment  do.      May  the  Lord  look  down  upon  us 


170  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

with  pity  and  forgive  us,  poor  wandering  sinners  that  we  are,   for 
without  his  aid  we  can  never  be  saved."' 

Continuing  his  narrative,  he  says : 

**I  made  three  voyages  as  second  mate,  and  returned  again  to 
Liverpool.  I  was  then  appointed  chief-officer  of  a  vessel  m  the 
same  employ,  and  bound  again  round  the  Horn.  But  it  pleas- 
ed the  Father  of  all  wisdom  and  glory  to  frustrate  our  purposes. 
We  struck  on  Black  Water  Bank,  off  the  coast  of  Ireland,  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  and  out  of  seventeen  persons  on  board,  only  one 
man  besides  myself  was  saved.  Neither  of  us  could  swim  a 
stroke.  But  it  pleased  God  to  spare  the  lives  of  two  perishing 
sinners.  It  seemed  nothing  short  of  a  miracle.  With  the  help 
of  God  we  were  both  saved  by  holding  on  to  an  oar,  for  some 
wise  purpose,  doubtless  !  We  were  washed  ashore  on  St.  Pat- 
rick's day,  in  the  presence  of  about  two  thousand  spectators. 
But  with  such  a  sea  running  they  were  unable  to  launch  a  boat 
for  our  rescue.  While  struggling  with  the  mountain  waves,  I 
thought  of  my  loving,  but  too  justly  offended  God,  and  prom- 
ised that  if  he  would  spare  me,  I  would  live  a  better  life.  I 
meant  a  religious  life,  for  no  life  can  be  better,  except  a  religious 
one,  as  I  can  now  testify.  You  would  naturally  think,  Mr. 
Jones,  that,  after  our  heavenly  Father  had  spared  the  life  of  a 
poor  miserable  sinner  like  me,  I  would  keep  the  promise  I  had 
made  But,  alas  !  no — after  being  ashore  but  two  weeks,  I 
forgot  all  about  God.  I  thought,  by  going  to  a  place  of  wor- 
ship occasionally,  and  giving  charity  to  a  poor  beggar,  when  I 
could  afford  it,  that  I  was  fulfilling  all  that  was  required  of  me 
as  a  Christian.  Did  my  heart  feel  any  love  toward  God  ?  No  : 
It  was  all  outward  show.  But  now,  thanks  be  to  God,  I  feel 
that  within  the  last  five  months  I  am  a  better  man.  It  is  not 
of  my  doing,  however,  but  God's — the  result  of  the  continued 
intercession  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  saying, 
*  Father,  spare  him  a  little  longer  !'  and  he  has  spared  me.  I 
hope  it  is,  that  I  may  be  an  humble  instrument  in  his  hands,  of 
doing  some  good  to  my  brother  sailors. 


ClilEF-OFl'ICER.  171 

"  After  my  shipwreck  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  I  jomed  my 
brother-in-laNv's  vessel  as  chief-officer,  but  did  not  remain  with 
him  long,  on  account  of  some  words  that  we  had,  arising  from 
my  neglect  of  duty,  through  the  use  of  wine.  After  leaving 
him,  I  shipped  in  a  British  man-of-war,  before  the  mast,  and  re- 
mained in  her  two  years  and  a  half.  Never  a  thought  of  God  in 
all  that  time  occupied  my  mind.  I  spreed  away,  as  long  as  my 
money  held  out  after  being  paid  off,  and  then  shipped  before 
the  mast  in  one  of  Green's  ships  in  London.  We  were  bound 
to  the  East  Indies.  Our  captain  was  a  truly  religious  m^an. 
He  gave  each  of  us  a  Bible.  We  were  required  to  attend 
Divine  service  every  Sabbath,  either  in  the  cabin  or  on  the 
quarter-deck.  The  captain  came  into  the  forecastle,  and  prayed 
and  read  with  us,  out  of  the  Holy  Book  of  God.  He  treated 
me  with  the  utmost  kindness,  as  I  showed  some  signs  of  refor- 
mation. But  alas  !  The  seed  was  sown  in  barren  ground,  and 
brought  forth  no  fruit. 

"In  Calcutta  I  left  good  Captain  N ,  and  joined  the  barque 

D ,  of  Liverpool,  as  second-officer.     One  would  be  led  to 

suppose,    that  after  having  suftcred  so  much,    and   having  re- 
ceived so  much  good  advice  from  Capt.  N ,  I  would  have 

turned  my  thoughts  toward  God,  and  the  redemption  of  my 
soul,  but  1  did  not.  The  devil  had  too  fast  a  hold  of  me,  and 
was  dragging  me  down,  body  and  soul,  to  a  river  of  living  fire. 
On  my  arrival  in  Liverpool,  I  joined  the  barque  E.  A.,  in  the 
Pcrnambuco  trade,  as  chief-officer.  In  this  vessel  I  remained 
until  she  was  cast  away  on  Horchwell  ishoals,  off  the  Cape  de 
Verde  Islands,  and  there  again  the  intercession  of  the  Saviour 
secured  the  prolongation  of  my  life.  Yet  I  took  all  the  merit 
of  my  safety  to  myself  Did  not  I  get  out  the  boats,  and  land 
the  men  safe  on  shore  ?  Ah  !  poor  weak  mortals,  how  long 
will  we  allow  ourselves  to  remain  blind  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  deaf  to  his  inviting  voice,  while  he  cries,  *  Come  unto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest !' 
**  On  my  return  to  England,   after  my  second  shipwreck,  I 


172  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

received  a  letter  from  the  West  Coast  of  South  America,  calhng 
me  to  take  command  of  a  London  ship.  I  took  passage  in  a 
vessel  from  Liverpool  and  arrived  in  Callao,  after  a  passage  of 
ninety-eight  days,  thank  God  !  In  Callao,  I  met  a  kind  and 
affectionate  sister  and  her  husband,  after  an  absence  of  five  years, 
caused  by  my  own  misconduct  alone.  The  vessel  I  commanded 
was  chartered  for  a  port  in  the  United  States,  but  did  not  reach 
her  destination.  It  pleased  the  Almighty  to  give  me  another 
trial,  so  as  to  touch  my  heart  of  stone.  When  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  southward  of  Valdivia,  our  vessel  sprung  a 
leak,  in  a  gale  of  wind,  making  eight  inches  of  water  an  hour, 
and  every  day  increasing,  without  our  being  able  to  stop  it,  as  it 
was  under  water. 

"  We  continued  pumping  for  twenty-one  days,  the  leak  still 
gaining  on  us,  and  no  friendly  port  at  hand  to  in\ite  us  in. 
We  were  exhausted  both  in  body  and  mind.  One  of  the  crew 
died,  four  were  laid  up  sick,  the  rest  were  at  the  pumps  day  and 
night,  all  that  time.  You  would  naturally  ask  me,  did  you  not 
think  of  your  too  long  neglected  God  ?  Yes,  I  did  think  of  Him, 
and  went  down  on  my  knees  and  prayed  to  our  heavenly  Father 
for  the  deliverance  of  myself  and  shipmates  from  a  watery  grave. 
Again  our  kind  and  forgiving  Saviour  stretched  forth  his  hands 
and  snatched  us  from  death.  A  vessel  hove  in  sight,  and  we 
were  taken  off ;  our  own  ship  disappearing  beneath  the  yawning 
waves  only  three  hours  after  our  miraculous  escape  from  destruc- 
tion. All  this  took  place  off  Cape  Horn,  in  the  dead  of  winter, 
in  the  midst  of  continued  gales  of  wind  and  snow,  with  only  four 
hours  of  daylight.  This  new  proof  of  the  Divine  mercy  should 
have  been  enough  to  turn  any  man's  heart.  But  such  was  not 
the  case  with  me,  for  the  vessel  that  picked  us  up  landed  us  in 
Valparaiso,  where,  once  more  ashore,  with  plenty  of  money  in 
my  pockets,  I  forgot  all  my  late  troubles  and  promises  to  God. 
All  his  mercy  and  goodness  was  lost  sight  of  I  gave  way  to  a 
life  of  debauchery  and  shame — my  God,  my  soul — all — all  for- 
gotten !     Having  friends  on  the  coast,  I  soon  obtained  command 


DEBAUCHERY    AND    SHAME.  1 73 

of  a  ship  of  six  hundred  tons,  under  Peruvian  colors,  owned  in 
Liverpool.  That  vessel  I  commanded  for  some  time,  until  she 
was  sold  on  the  coast.  I  then  got  command  of  another  and 
brought  her  to  Liverpool. 

"  Having  been  absent  from  England  about  five  years,  I 
thought  this  a  good  time  to  enjoy  myself  in  the  pleasures  of  life. 
So  I  squared  up  with  my  employers  and  smarted  for  London, 
where  1  rem.ained,  spending  my  money  and  my  time,  and 
destroying  my  health,  which  was  of  more  value  than  all  the 
money.  I  did  not  think  of  God,  but  gave  way  to  all  manner  of 
sin.  It  was  a  hell  upon  earth.  I  risked  the  loss  not  only  of  my 
reputation,  but  of  my  soul.  But  I  hope  now,  and  trust  in  God, 
that  my  soul  is  in  his  all-powerful  keeping  ;  although  I  don't 
know  why  I,  so  hardened  a  sinner  as  I  have  been,  should  expect 
any  more  of  God's  mercy,  having  rejected  it  so  often. 

"I  remained  in  London  until  I  had  spent  all  my  money, 
except  barely  enough  to  carry  me  to  Glasgow,  where  I  arrived  an 
entire  stranger,  with  one  suit  of  clothes  to  my  back,  and  half  a 
crown  in  my  pocket.  Here  I  shipped  again  before  the  mast  in 
an  American  vessel,  bound  to  New  York,  where  it  pleased  the 
Lord  to  throw  me  in  your  way,  when  half  drunk.  Although  I 
received  such  good  instruction,  good  books  and  wise  counsel 
from  you  and  Mrs.  Jones,  the  devil  still  held  me  fast,  and  would 
not  let  me  part  company  with  him,  saying  to  me  :  '  You  are  a 
fool !  Will  you  give  up  all  the  pleasures  and  enjoyments  in  life 
and  hearken  to  that  ranter — that  madman  ?  No  such  thing  ! 
You  know  better.  Come,  drink,  drink  deep  of  this  world's  joys.' 
This  world's  joys,  indeed  !  joys  of  everlasting  torment ! 

' '  After  leaving  you,  with  such  good  intentions,  I  went  to 
Cadiz,  and  on  our  return,  in  the  month  of  February,  1857,  we 
were  cast  away  on  Long  Beach,  about  eighty  miles  fi-om  New 
York.  Here  again  the  Lord  delivered  m_e,  the  fourth  time,  from 
a  watery  grave.  But  I  did  not  thank  him  for  his  lo\'ing  kindness 
to  me,  a  sinner  above  all  sinners,  for  I  got  drunk  almost  as  soon 
as  I  got  ashore.     If  God  was  not  a  just   and  merciful  being,  I 


174  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

must  have  perished  in  the  multitude  of  my  sins,  and  sunk  into 
hell  without  redemption.  I  came  to  New  York,  and  sailed  for 
the  West  Indies,  without  going  near  a  place  of  worship,  or  call- 
ing to  see  you  and  Mrs.  Jones,  the  sailors'  friends. 

'  *  While  laying  in  port  at  one  of  the  islands,  I  landed  the 
captain  one  day  in  our  sailing-boat.  It  was  blowing  fresh,  and 
squally.  I  had  to  make  a  tack  off  to  reach  the  vessel.  V/hcn 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  outside  all  the  shipping,  a  sudden 
squall  struck  the  boat  and  capsized  her.  Having  about  half  a 
ton  of  ballast  in  her,  she  went  down  from  under  me,  leaving  me 
on  the  surface  of  the  water,  holding  on  by  two  oars,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  hundreds  of  sharks.  Here  again  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in- 
terceded for  my  deliverance,  and  our  all-forgiving  God  spared  me 
a  litde  longer.  I  hope  now,  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to 
live  an  upright  and  good  life,  until  it  shall  please  him  to  take 
me  to  himself. 

''In  the  West  Indies,  our  second-officer  left  us,  and  I  was 
promoted  to  the  quarter-deck  once  more.  We  were  bound  to 
Falmouth,  for  orders.  On  the  passage,  while  pacing  the  deck 
at  night  and  communing  with  my  own  thoughts,  my  life  came  up 
before  me  for  review.  I  asked  myself  those  questions  :  '  What 
good  have  I  done  for  myself  or  for  any  one  else  in  this  world  dur- 
ing the  thirty  odd  years  it  has  pleased  the  all-bountiful  God  to 
permit  me  to  live  in  it  ? '  Wicked  sinner  that  I  am  !  I  answered 
myself  in  a  single  word — '  Nothing !  I  have  done  absolutely  no- 
thing, even  for  my  own  soul.  I  have  cast  the  grace  of  God  from 
me,  and  defied  him.  I  feel  that  I  have  done  wrong  and  am  still 
doing  wrong. ' 

' '  Just  then  I  felt  something  like  the  prick  of  a  thorn  within  my 
heart,  and  a  warning  voice  came  sweeping  over  the  deep  to  me, 
saying,  '  Repent  !  ere  it  be  too  late  ! '  and  I  did  repent,  for  from 
that  hour  I  have  become  a  changed  man.  But  man  cannot 
wrestle  alone  with  the  evil  one — he  must  implore  the  aid  of  God, 
and  it  will  be  given  him,  if  he  asks  in  faith,  for  without  faith  in 
Christ  no  man  can  be  saved. 


SICKNESS   AND    POVERTY.  1 75 

•'Again,  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  has  said, '  Ask  and 
it  shall  be  given  unto  you  ;  for  whatsoever  you  shall  ask  in  my 
name  the  Father  will  do  it  for  you  !  '  That  promise  is  a  living 
proof  to  me  that  whoever  the  sinner  may  be,  and  wherever  he 
may  be,  there  is  God  also.  We  only  want  faith,  and  with  faith 
we  have  the  support  of  God.  I  hope  the  Lord  will  keep  me 
steadfast  in  the  path  I  am  now  endeavoring  to  tread,  and  enable 
me  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  so  that  I  may  conquer  sin. 
This  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your  brother  in  Christ, 

* '  W.     CURRAN.  " 

Thus  far  the  personal  narrative  of  our  brother  sets 
God's  mercy  and  long-sufifering  before  us  in  a  strong 
light ;  and  let  it  be  remembered  that  the  Divine  germ  so 
strangely  implanted  in  his  soul,  grew  into  a  devout  Christ- 
ian vitality,  which  continued  and  increased  through  all 
the  next  eight  years  of  his  sailor  life,  during  which  his 
walk  was  consistent  and  his  hope  kept  bright. 

During  one  of  his  voyages  to  England  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  a  Christian  lady,  who  became  his  wife. 
He  brought  her  with  him  to  Philadelphia,  where  they 
lived  very  happily  together.  Both  of  them  were  indus- 
trious and  thrifty,  happy  in  each  other's  affections,  and 
happy  together  in  the  Lord.  Trials  they  had  in  measure, 
afflictions  were  not  wanting.  Disease  laid  fierce  liold 
upon  him.  Inflammatory  rheumatism^  racked  his  limbs  for 
years.  Poverty  claimed  him  for  her  own.  But  during 
all  that  long,  dark  night  of  sorrow,  unfit  from  physical 
debility  for  work  of  any  kind,  when  employment  was  to  be 
obtained,  and  unable  to  procure  the  work  wdien  physi- 
cally adapted  to  its  execution,  often  brought  to  the  very 
verge  of  starvation,  without  means  to  purchase  medicine 
to  ease  his  pain,  or  pay  for  the  services  of  a  physician,  and 


176  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

finally  his  wife  laid  by,  sick  from  exposure  in  the  winter 
season,  while  applying  from  store  to  store  for  the  privilege 
of  working  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door,  and  he  him- 
self stricken  down  with  paralysis — both  of  them  became 
dependent  on  the  benevolence  of  friends.  Yet  his  faith 
in  God  never  failed  him  ;  his  allegiance  to  Christ  continued 
steadfast,  and  his  unmurmuring  spirit  kept  cheerfully 
on  his  way,  seeing  only  God's  good  hand  in  every- 
thing, and  acknowledging  his  wisdom  in  all  the  exi- 
gencies of  his  personal  experience.  His  correspond- 
ence, which  he  kept  up  with  his  pastor  and  friend, 
through  all  those  years,  showed  that  the  fires  of  love  kin- 
dled in  his  new-born  soul  in  that  memorable  night-watch 
at  sea,  in  the  summer  of  1857,  continued  to  burn  with  un- 
dimmed  and  inextinguishable  fervor,  until  from  tJie  shores 
of  the  West  Coast  of  South  America — absent  from  her 
whom  he  loved  dearer  than  life,  and  among  a  people  of 
a  strange  tongue,  he  heard  the  welcome  voice  of  his 
Saviour,  in  the  spring  of  1865,  caUing  him  to  his  inheri- 
tance on  high.  He  had  been  suffering  from  epileptic  fits, 
but  had  recovered,  and  on  the  day  of  his  death  was  full 
of  hope.  He  was  anticipating  the  privilege  of  sending  for 
his  wife,  as  he  had  a  promise  from  a  merchant  in  Val- 
paraiso of  the  command  of  a  ship  as  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  take  her.  But  the  bud  of  promise  was  nipped  by  the 
frost  of  death,  before  it  could  expand.  He  received  a 
second  stroke  of  paralysis,  and  fell  asleep  in  the  arms  of 
his  covenant  Lord,  who  had  rescued  him  from  his  life  of 
recklessness  in  sin,  fitted  him  to  serve  in  his  royal  house 
above,  and  taught  him  the  true  way  to  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 


THE   HEART    OPENED.  1 77 

*'  Life's  duty  done,  as  sinks  the  clay, 
Light  from  its  load  the  spirit  flies ! 
While  heaven  and  earth  combine  to  say, 
How  blest  the  righteous  when  he  dies  !" 

THE    HEART   OPENED. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  of  September,  a  young  sailor,  a 
Hollander  by  birth,  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  own 
wrong- doing,  and  especially  to  the  danger  of  his  drink- 
ing habits.  The  effect  of  the  truth  on  his  mind  was  such 
as  to  convince  him  that  the  time  had  come  for  him 
to  abstain  from  intoxicating  drinks.  On  the  Tuesday 
following,  therefore,  accompanied  by  a  companion,  he 
came  to  my  study,  and  asked  to  be  permitted  to  sign  the 
temperance  pledge.  He  expressed  the  belief  that  rum 
had  led  him  into  bad  company,  and  he  purposed  now  t-o 
abandon  it  forever.  Having  received  his  certificate  of 
membership  in  the  Marine  Temperance  Society,  he 
resolved  to  take  a  step  further  on  the  road  to  safety,  and 
came  to  the  lecture  in  the  evening.  Here  his  convic- 
tions were  deepened,  and  he  determined  to  avail  himself  of 
all  the  means  of  grace,  while  he  remained  ashore.  He 
became^  a  regular  attendant  on  all  our  Sabbath  and  week- 
day services,  the  truth  daily  gaining  more  power  over 
his  spirit. 

After  some  three  weeks  of  constant  attendance,  he 
appeared  before  the  council  of  the  church  to  ask  instruc- 
tion. Here  it  came  out  that  he  had  imbibed  infidel  prin- 
ciples, and  these  he  found  to  be  in  the  way  of  his  entire 
consecration  to  Christ.  The  counsel  he  received,  his 
daily  attention  to  the  preached  word,  and  the  prayer- 
meetings,  resulted  in  dissipating  the  clouds  of  darkness 
which  had  blinded  his  spiritual  vision.     I  learned  that  he 

12 


178  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

was  born  in  Dorsburg,  Holland,  in  1827,  and  received  a 
religious  training  ;  but  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to 
sea,  and  through  the  influence  of  corrupt  men  had  fallen 
into  intemperate  habits  and  succeeded  in  persuading 
himself  into  unbelief  I  gave  him  such  assistance  as  I 
could,  and  put  into  his  hand  a  copy  of  Gaussen's  "  Christ 
Knocking  at  the  Door  of  Man's  Heart,"  in  his  own 
language.  This  httle  book  was  blessed  of  God  to  him. 
He  hearkened  to  the  Saviour's  knock — the  fortress  of  his 
soul  capitulated.  The  gates  were  thrown  wide  open,  his 
heart  responded,  and  welcomed  the  heavenly  stran- 
ger in. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  just  one  month  from  the  day 
in  which  he  first  visited  the  church  and  listened  to  the 
truth,  he  came  to  my  study  rejoicing  in  Christ  Jesus. 
His  countenance  was  beaming  with  happiness,  and  he 
said  :  ''  Now  I  believe  with  all  my  heart,  and  can  pray — 
not  with  my  lips  only,  but  with  my  whole  heart."  He 
bought  a  hymn  book  to  take  to  sea  with  him,  that  he 
might  make  melody  in  his  heart  unto  the  Lord.  On  the 
13th  he  came  to  take  his  farewell  of  the  church  and 
pastor.  He  was  evidently  feeling  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  going  forth  in  the  strength  of  his  crucified 
Lord.  I  supplied  him  with  reading  matter  for  the  voyage, 
gave  him  an  introduction  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor,  sailor's 
preacher,  and  to  the  Ladies  Seamen's  Friend  Society,  at 
San  Francisco,  to  which  port  he  was  bound,  and  also  to 
the  Rev.  S.  C.  Damon,  at  Honolulu,  as  he  expected  to  visit 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  He  was  unable  to  correspond  in 
the  English  language,  and  this  may  account  for  the  fact 
that  I  did  not  hear  from  him  again. 


THE    DYING   MESSAGE.  1/9 

I  have  stated  in  another  place  that  many  of  the  men 
who  came  under  the  influence  of  the  Mariners'  church 
were  moved  by  the  truth  they  heard,  and  the  kindness 
with  which* they  were  treated,  to  secretly  resolve  to  serve 
the  Lord  ;  and  that  many  of  this  class  went  to  sea  before 
putting  these  purposes  into  practical  effect.  Of  some  of 
these  we  heard  incidentally,  through  others  who  had 
met  or  sailed  with  them.  Correspondence  brought  others 
to  our  knowledge,  but  from  many  we  received  no  tidings. 
We  had  however  the  comforting  assurance  that  the  good 
seed,  "  faithfully  cast  upon  the  waters,"  would  certainly 
be  found,  even  though  it  were  '*  after  many  days."  In 
one  instance,  at  least,  the  intelligence  of  good  accom- 
plished came  back  to  us  in  a  direct  channel. 

We  learned  of  the  birth  of  a  soul  of  a  brother  we 
never  saw,  and  whose  name  we  never  knew.  As  the 
mother  is  sometimes  only  assured  of  the  life  of  her 
child  by  hearing  its  dying  wail,  so  we  learned  of  the 
birth  of  our  nameless  brother  by  the  message  he 
sent  us  from  his  dying  bed.  It  came  to  my  house  while 
I  was  temporarily  absent,  by  two  young  men  belonging 
to  Nova  Scotia,  who  stated  that  they  had  come  at 
the  request  of  a  shipmate  who  died  on  the  passage  from 
the  West  Indies.  They  said  he  was  not  well  when  he 
shipped  in  the  vessel,  that  he  was  suffering  from  some 
affection  of  the  lungs,  which  seemed  to  be  intensified  by 
the  action  of  the  sea  air,  and  the  exertion  incident  to 
ship's  duty  ;  so  that  he  became  rapidly  worse,  after  they 
got  outside,  and  was  soon  confined  to  his  berth.  It 
appeared  also  from  this  statement  that  he  was  a  constant 
reader  of  the  Bible,  and  prayed  without  ceasing. 

Before  he  died  he  called  his  shipmates   around  him. 


l80  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

and  told  them  that  he  knew  very  well  that  he  was  dying, 
but  that  he  felt  assured  that  Jesus  Christ  had  washed  all 
his  sins  away,  and  he  was  going  to  his  heavenly  home  to 
live  with  Him  forever.  He  wished  them,  he  said,  if  they 
lived  to  reach  New  York,  to  call  on  Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  the 
pastor  of  the  Mariners'  church,  in  Madison  street,  and 
tell  him  that  on  the  Sabbath  evening  before  he  sailed, 
while  passing  the  church,  he  was  attracted  by  the  music, 
and  stopped  to  listen  to  the  singing.  As  he  stood  there, 
he  was  invited  to  enter  and  attend  the  service.  He  com- 
pHed  with  the  invitation,  and  listened  attentively  to  the 
sermon.  Here  the  sins  of  his  past  life  came  up  in  dread 
array  before  him.  He  saw  himself  in  a  condition  of 
which  he  had  not  conceived  before.  He  felt  that  he  was 
a  condemned,  lost  sinner.  While  his  soul  was  writhing 
under  the  sense  of  guilt,  degradation,  and  misery,  the 
pastor  pointed  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  way 
of  escape.  He  felt  anxious  to  avail  himself  of  the  rem- 
edy, and  in  that  state  of  mind,  left  the  church  and  went 
on  board  the  vessel.  Then  and  there  he  resolved  that  he 
would  forsake  his  evil  ways,  seek  the  pardon  and  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins,  and  try,  with  God's  help,  to  live  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  the  service  of  Christ  his 
Saviour. 

"Tell  the  pastor,"  said  he,  "that  his  faithful  sermon  set 
me  thinking,  and  brought  me  to  cast  my  sins  on  Jesus. 
Tell  him  that  with  my  dying  breath  I  shall  bless  him,  and 
pray  that  he  may  be  long  spared  to  preach  and  to 
teach  the  blessed  gospel."  He  further  urged  his  ship- 
mates, to  "  listen  to  the  words  of  the  preacher  for  them- 
selves— and  above  all  things  to  forsake  their  sins  and  seek 
the  favor  of  God." 


SAILORS   GRATEFUL.  l8l 

While  communicating  the  message,  the  young  men 
seemed  to  be  greatly  moved,  and  were  scarcely  able  to 
keep  back  their  tears.  My  wife  requested  them  to  re- 
main till  I  returned ;  but  as  they  were  just  about  to  sail 
for  Nova  Scotia,  their  home,  they  could  not  wait.  I 
therefore  did  not  see  them  nor  learn  their  names.  She 
however  urged  home  upon  them  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  imitating  the  example,  and  applying  the  dy- 
ing injunction  of  their  shipmate  to  their  own  souls.  They 
said  they  would,  with  God's  help,  and  expressed  the  be- 
lief that  they  were  already  endeavoring  to  lead  godly 
lives,  as  a  result  of  his  faithfulness.  Let  us  hope  that  they 
remained  true  to  their  promise,  and  that  they  may  meet 
him  living  among  the  ransomed  throng  who  have  ''  gone 
up  through  much  tribulation,  and  washed  their  robes  and 
made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

SEAMEN    GRATEFUL. 

Not  the  least  prominent  among  the  traits  of  character 
displayed  by  the  sailor,  is  his  gratitude  for  favors  received. 
Without  exaggeration,  I  could  fill  a  good-sized  book  with 
testimony  in  proof  of  this  statement.  I  believe  that  gra- 
titude is  a  normal  characteristic,  and  that  like  many 
others,  this  one  is  more  largely  developed  at  sea,  or  is 
brought  out  more  prominently  by  the  consciousness  that 
others  have  their  welfare  at  heart.  Scarcely  a  letter  came 
to  me  in  all  my  ministry  among  these  men,  that  was  not 
freighted  down  to  the  wales  with  grateful  acknowledgment 
of  service  rendered,  and  with  invocations  for  the  divine 
blessing  to  rest  upon  me  and  mine,  even  when  the  writer 
had  not  himself  openly  acknowledged  his  indebtedness  to 
God. 


1 82  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

The  reason  for  this  may  be,  that  sailors  are  so  seldom 
the  recipients  of  favors;  have  so  little  done  for  them  from 
disinterested  motives,  and  are  brought  so  seldom  into 
contact  with  those  who  seek  their  good,  that  when  the 
disposition  to  benefit  them  is  manifest,  a  sense  of  grati- 
tude spontaneously  springs  up  in  the  heart,  and  finds 
expression  by  tongue  or  pen.  This,  doubtless,  is  on  the 
principle  embodied  in  a  question  and  answer,  which  I 
found  in  a  poem,  I  think  of  "George  Sands,"  many  years 
ago.  The  inquiry  was  suggested  by  the  effect  of  sudden 
joy,  on  one  vv^ho  gave  way  under  it. 

"  How  is  it,  that  the  heart, 
That  could  bear  up  against  evils  numberless. 

One  happy  moment,  thus  should  quite  o'erpower  ?" 

The  response  contains  the  solution  of  the  mystery. 
"  So  rarely  good  our  portion  is, 
The  smile  of  joy  so  rare, 
The  glad  surprise  of  sudden  bliss 
We  never  learn  to  bear. '' 

There  is  much  in  the  life  of  the  sailor,  that  is  associated 
with  the  dark  side  of  our  humanity.  He  is  so  often 
f  roughly  treated,  not  only  tempest- tossed  and  buffeted  of 
winds  and  waves,  the  sport  of  the  cruel  elements  in  na- 
ture, but  too  often  roughly  handled  by  more  cruel  men. 
On  this  account  he  frequently  finds  it  necessary  to  place 
himself,  if  not  in  a  position  of  absolute  antagonism  to  his 
fellovv-men,  yet  in  an  attitude  of  defence,  in  which  the 
rougher  features  of  his  own  nature  are  excited  to  resist- 
ance. But  when  he  becomes  the  recipient  of  unexpect- 
ed and  unearned  favors,  then  his  own  better  nature  is  de- 
veloped, and  his  heart  gushes  forth  in  grateful  response. 
I  quote  an  instance  or  two,  as  examples  : 


''SICK,    AND    YE    VISITED    ME."  183 

* '  Jlly  Dear  Sir — As  I  am  to  sail  to-day  for  my  native  place,  I 
cannot  leave  without  tendering  to  you  my  sincere  thanks  for  your 
kindness  and  attention  to  me  during  my  sickness,  and  also  for 
the  good  counsel  you  have  given  me.  O,  that  I  had  not  grieved 
the  Spirit  so  long,  and  so  many  times  !  While  sitting  under  your 
ministry,  I  have  many  times  made  up  my  mind  to  come  and 
open  my  heart  to  you,  and  tell  you  how  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
influencing  me.  The  ver}-  last  time  I  heard  you  I  was  on  my 
way  to  tell  you  my  feelings,  but  the  wicked  one  suggested  '  some 
other  time.'  I  am  now  resolved,  from  this  time  forward,  to  live 
nearer  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  died  to  save  me.  Now,  my  dear 
sir,  pray  for  me,  that  the  Lord  may  pour  out  his  Holy  Spirit  upon 
me,  and  that  I  may  live  m  communion  with  him  who  has  saved 
me  frcm  perdition  so  many  times.  He  has  given  me  many  loud 
calls,  which  I  have  refused  ;  and  now,  sir,  I  ask  you  to  pray  for 
me,  to  unite  your  petitions  with  mine,  that  I  may  have  an  abid- 
ing interest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  ''J.   A.    R." 

Another,  dated  later,  announcing  his  arrival  at  the  port 
of  lading,  and  expressing  his  regrets  that  he  cannot  get 
ashore  to  attend  the  house  of  God,  adds : 

' '  I  am  sure  that  God  will  meet  with  me,  wherever  I  am.  It 
Vv^as  very  painful  for  me  to  leave  you,  because  I  enjoyed  so 
many  happy  seasons  in  the  Mariners'  church.  I  thank  you 
and  your  congregation  for  kindnesses  shown  me.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  distribute  the  reading  matter  you  gave  me,  and  it 
has  been  gratefully  received.  I  am  satisfied  with  my  position, 
as  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned.  The  captain  is  brutal  in 
his  treatment  of  the  crew,  but  he  lets  me  alone.  I  have  had 
very  many  happy  nights  since  we  left  you,  and  I  have  felt  that 
your  prayers  were  ascending  with  mine  to  the  throne  of  grace. 
I  hope  you  and  your  congregation  will  continue  to  pray  for  me, 
that  I  may  persevere  in  the  good  old  way." 

Still  another: 

"I  thank  you  for  the  letter,  and  for  the  tract  inclosed,  whi^l^ 


1 84  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

you  so  kindly  sent  me.  It  is  good  ad\dce  that  you  give.  I 
hope,  with  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  follow  it.  I  am 
determined,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  persevere.  I  ask  an  interest 
in  the  prayers  of  the  church. " 

Yet  one  more  : 

^^  My  Dear  Friend — Could  you  but  have  a  slight  idea  of  the  joy 
and  happiness  which  your  interesting  and  encouraging  letter  of 
the  22  nd  caused  me,  and  how  it  drew  forth  my  very  heart,  in 
thanksgiving  and  praises  to  him  who  so  loved  the  world  as  to 
give  his  only  begotten  Son  to  save  it,  you  would  doubtless  feel 
yourself  amply  rewarded  for  the  time  spent  in  writing  it,  and 
would  be  greatly  encouraged  in  your  labors  of  love.  I  am, 
indeed,  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  sending  me  such  an  instruct- 
ive episde.  It  came  to  me  as  a  ministering  angel.  As  the  oasis 
in  the  desert  gives  pleasure  and  comfort  to  the  weary  traveller,  so 
it  brought  consolation  to  my  soul.  Be  assured,-  that  when  I  bow 
to  commune  with  my  Saviour,  you,  and  the  Mariners'  church, 
with  all  its  interests,  and  all  its  members,  are  never  forgotten." 

SEAMEN   ACCESSIBLE. 

We  are  often  asked  by  landsmen,  whose  ideas  of  the 
sailor's  character  are  somewhat  indefinite :  "  How  do  you 
get  at  these  men  ?  Are  they  easy  of  access  ?  Will  they 
listen  to  you  when  you  go  into  their  boarding-houses  ? 
Can  you  induce  them  to  give  heed  to  sacred  things  ? 
Do  you  really  impress  them  ?" 

The  answer  to  these  questions  is  best  made  by  giving 
facts  as  they  occurred.  On  visiting  a  boarding-house  on 
one  occasion,  our  missionary  found  four  men  engaged  in 
playing  cards.  Without  asking  them  to  desist  from  that 
unprofitable  way  of  spending  their  time,  he  says  : 

"  I  spoke  to  them  of  the  excellency  of  wisdom's  ways,  and  of 


SEAMEN   ACCESSIBLE.  1 85 

the  present  and  eternal  safety  of  the  Christian.     As  I  progressed, 
first  one,  then  another,  and  another,  and  then  another   of  the 
company  dropped  their  cards  and  hstened.     Their  companions 
asked  them  why  they  wished   to  hsten  to  such  nonsense,  and 
urged  them  to  continue  the  game,  but  they  refused.     Two  of 
them,   however,   accepted  my  invitation,  and  came  to  my  office. 
After  a  few  moments'  conversation,  one  of  them  said,  '  I  know 
that  what  you  say  is  true,  and  that  I  would  be  a  happier  man  if 
I  should  follow  your  advice.     I  was  brought  up  under  faithful 
Presbyterian  training,  in  Ireland.    I  often  think  of  the  time  when 
I  bowed  at  the  family  altar,  every  morning  and  evening,  with  my 
dear  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters.     Both  my  dear  pa- 
rents encouraged  me  to  give  up  my  heart  to  Christ  when  young. 
But  I  left  them  to  go  to  sea,  and  soon  joined  in  the  sins  and  fol- 
lies of  my  wicked  companions.     I  have  been  a  ringleader  in  ini- 
quity.    My  conscience  has  often  condemned  me,  and  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  met  me,  and  brought  me  here.     Now  I  am  resolved 
to  lead  a  new  life. 

"  I  explained  to  him  the  way  of  salvation,  and  the  necessity 
not  only  of  forsaking  his  sins,  but  also  of  constant  and  fervent 
prayer  for  divine  grace  and  strength  to  enable  him  to  persevere. 
I  then  asked  him  if  he  would  bow  down  that  night  before  he  re- 
tired to  rest,  even  if  some  of  his  shipmates  were  present,  and  hold 
communion  with  God  in  prayer  ?  He  replied,  '  I  will;  for  I  have 
something  now  to  do,  and  the  sooner  I  set  about  it  the  better.' 
He  signed  the  temperance  pledge.  We  joined  in  prayer,  and 
separated,  with  a  promise  on  his  part  to  meet  me  at  my  office 
next  morning.  In  the  morning  I  found  him  waiting  for  me,  and 
in  reply  to  my  question,  '  Did  you  fulfil  the  promise  you  made 
to  me  yesterday .?'  he  said,  '  I  did.  There  were  several  shipmates 
in  the  room,  but  I  did  not  regard  them.  I  feel  myself  to  be  a 
sinner,  and  what  shall  I  do  .?  O  that  I  had  seen  you  before  !  I 
am  now  going  to  California,  in  a  large  ship.  I  am  acquainted 
with  many  who  will  be  my  shipmates  three  or  four  months.  They 
are  all  wicked,  and  will  tease  the  very  life  out  of  me,  if  I  try  to  be 


1 86  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SEAMEN. 

a  Christian.  O  !  that  I  had  began  before,  and  was  now  on  the  safe 
side  !' 

"I  encouraged  him  to  persevere,  pointing  him  to  the  precious 
promises  in  the  Bible,  and  again  commended  him  to  the  care  of 
his  Saviour  God,  in  prayer.  When  the  runner  came  for  him  to 
go  on  board,  his  last  words  were,    '  Don't  forget  to  pray  for  me. ' 

' '  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  that  young  Irish- 
m.an  since,  but  I  expect  to  meet  him  when  he  shall  have  entered 
into  the  full  enjoyment  of  that  which  he  was  so  earnestly  seeking. 
There  have  been  many  of  the  fifteen  hundred  seamen  who  have 
called  at  my  office,  and  also  those  w^hom  I  have  seen  at  the 
boarding-houses,  who  had  not  given  such  evident  tokens  of  being 
under  the  teachings  and  controlling  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
as  that  young  man  ;  yet  many  of  them  have  gone  to  sea  having 
the  good  seed  implanted  in  their  hearts  by  Him  who  will  cause  it 
to  bring  forth  fruit  unto  eternal  life. 

"When  we  remember  that  seamen  are  confined  from  one  to 
twelve  months — and  sometimes  three  years,  as  on  board  United 
States'  ships — and  that  during  the  greater  part  of  that  time,  in 
merchant  ships  especially,  are  kept  at  hard  work,  and  in  many  in- 
stances are  the  victims  of  tyrannical  usage,  it  is  not  to  be  wonder- 
ed at  that  they  endeavor  to  take  their  fill  of  pleasure  in  the  way 
they  find  most  congenial  to  their  unsanctified  tastes  and  desires 
as  soon  as  they  get  their  liberty.  Still  we  have  every  reason  to 
persevere  in  striving  to  induce  them  to  forsake  the  paths  of  sin, 
and  embrace  the  ways  of  righteousness.  When  we  see  them,  as 
I  have  often  been  permitted  to  do,  leave  the  bar  and  card  table, 
and  the  brothel,  and  profane  conversation,  and  gather  around  the 
missionary,  to  receive  a  Testament  or  a  tract,  and  listen  to  the 
soul-saving  story  of  the  Cross,  sometimes  for  an  hour  at  a  time, 
we  are   encouraged  to  labor  on. 

' '  In  one  case  I  supplied  a  young  seaman  with  books,  who 
was  bound  on  a  voyage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro.  He  loaned  them  to 
a  shipmate  who  was  then  under  serious  impressions.  The  books 
were  of  great  use  to  him,  in  deepening  the  conviction  of  sin  and 


SAILORS'    COxMPANION.  1 8/ 

showing  him  his  need  of  an  interest  in  Christ.  Some  of  his  ship- 
mates ridiculed  him,  and  called  him  a  baby,  when  they  saw  him 
striving  to  forsake  sin,  and  exhibiting  a  tender  conscience  in  the 
sight  of  God  and  man.  He  told  me  afterwards  that  he  would 
rather  be  one  of  Christ's  babes  than  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  his 
soul  forever.  The  vessel  in  which  he  came  to  this  city,  arrived 
at  Quarantine  on  Sunday  morning.  The  captain  went  on  shore, 
and  left  orders  with  the  mate  to  have  the  sails  unbent,  and  some 
painting  done.  The  second  mate  called  on  the  young  sailor, 
who  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  to  do  the  painting.  He  object- 
ed, on  account  of  its  being  the  Sabbath  ;  but  the  officer  told  him 
it  was  the  captain's  orders,  and  therefore  the  work  must  be  done. 
He  respectfully  persisted  in  his  refusal,  although  the  rest  of  the 
crew  went  to  work, 

"It  was  in  that  interesting  state  of  mind  that  I  found  this 
young  seeker  after  the  truth,  and  it  was  not  long  afterwards  that 
the  fulness  and  freeness  of  the  Gospel  offer  was  made  fully  known 
to  him,  and  he  rejoiced  in  Christ  his  Saviour. 

''  In  another  instance  I  supplied  a  seaman  with  books,  who 
had  up  to  that  time  led  an  abandoned  and  profligate  life.  He 
was  brought  to  conviction  by  reading  the  experience  of  our  pastor, 
Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  as  related  in  the  'Sailors'  Companion.'  He 
found  peace  in  believing  in  the  Saviour,  and  at  once  began  to  try 
to  be  useful  in  the  Master's  serxice.  On  the  next  voyage  some 
Testaments,  tracts  and  books  were  put  on  board  of  the  vessel,  and 
as  the  distribution  of  them  was  rather  distasteful  to  the  captain,  he 
confided  it  to  the  Christian  sailor.  On  their  arrival  at  a  Spanish 
port,  he  engaged  in  that  work  with  alacrity  and  zeal.  When  he 
saw  the  Spaniards  coming  in  crowds  to  the  vessel  for  the  Spanish 
Testaments,  he  was  delighted,  and  enthusiastically  cried  out, 
'  Cuba  will  be  Protestant  before  ten  years  expire. ' " 

As  far  as  my  own  observation  extends,  I  have  never 
known  a  seaman  who  has  been  converted  and  tasted  of  the 
joys  of  redeeming  love,  who,  settling  down  upon  his  lees 


1 88  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

and  hiding  his  rehgion,  passed  though  life  satisfied  with 
getting  to  heaven  alone.  A  young  Spanish  seaman  whom 
I  supplied  with  Testaments  and  tracts,  while  he  remained 
on  shore,  brought  several  of  his  Roman  Catholic  country- 
men to  the  office  for  good  books.  When  he  returned 
from  sea,  he  bought  a  Spanish  Bible  for  his  father  and  a 
primer  for  his  sister.  These  he  sent  home  to  them  in 
Spain.  He  said,  his  sister,  who  was  sixteen  years  old, 
would  read  aloud  in  the  Bible  to  the  whole  family,  and 
that  his  father  said  it  was  a  good  book. 

He  brought  to  the  office  at  another  time  two  young 
Spaniards,  to  whom  Testaments  were  given  in  their  own 
tongue.  They  brought  a  third.  They  all  became  attend- 
ants at  our  church.  Two  of  them  were  converted,  and 
united  with  us.  One  became  an  engineer  in  the  Spanish 
navy,  and  his  correspondence  from  that  hot-bed  of  Roman- 
ism, running  through  several  years,  testified  of  his  faith- 
fulness to  his  covenant  vows. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

LOSS  OF  THE  ST.  DENIS — SHIP 

My  journal — A  weeping  soul — Pastoral  solicitude — An  amiable  youth — 
Monthly  concert — Increased  correspondence — Social  meeting — Impres- 
sions produced — Effect  on  dress  and  manners — Auxiliary  volunteers — 
Sorrow  on  the  sea — Loss  of  the  "St.  Denis  " — Ship's  crew  converted — 
Lord's  Supper — Christian  farewells — Happy  captain  ;  happy  crew. 

Since  my  consecration  to  Christ,  I  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  recording  matters  of  personal  and  relative  interest 
as  they  occurred.  Sometimes,  however,  from  excess  of 
labor,  the  entries  have  been  few  and  far  between.  On 
this  account  many  things  which  I  would  be  glad  to  recall 
have  passed  into  oblivion.  This  I  can  but  regret,  as  I 
turn  occasionally  to  my  diary  for  the  purpose  of  confirm- 
ing some  indistinct  recollection,  and  find  page  after  page 
a  dreary  blank.  Yet  these  very  blanks  are  not  without 
their  compensations;  for  such  is  the  plethora  of  fact  and  in- 
cident, that  the  difficulty  is  to  make  a  judicious  selection 
from  the  abundance  of  material  at  hand.  There  are  in- 
teresting events  connected  with  hundreds  of  vessels,  whose 
sails  have  whitened  every  sea,  and  whose  Christian 
mariners  have  borne  the  glad  tidings  to  every  land.  A 
few  of  these  only  are  appended. 

In  my  journal  of  January  29th,  I  find  recorded  : 

189 


I90  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

"Another  weeping  soul  came  this  morning,  asking  advice  and 
books — a  man  whose  gray  hairs  and  haggard  expression  indicated 
great  suffering.  His  threadbare  garments  showed  plainly  that  the 
wearer  had  seen  better  days.  His  history,  as  he  frankly  related  it, 
confirmed  my  first  impressions.  He  had  buried  his  wife  and  all 
his  children.  He  had  lost  the  vessel  of  which  he  was  master  and 
owner  in  a  hurricane  while  carrying  the  United  States  mail  between 
the  South  and  Havana.  Since  then  he  had  been  before  the  mast. 
His  wife  died,  as  she  had  lived,  a  devout  Christian.  He  himself 
had  been  regular  in  his  life,  and  an  attendant  upon  church  ser\'ice, 
but  acknowledged  that  he  had  no  experimental  acquaintance 
with  Christ  and  his  salvation.  I  spoke  affectionately  to  him  of 
his  soul's  need,  gave  him  a  prayer-book,  and  some  bound  volumes 
and  tracts.  He  seemed  much  affected,  and  when  I  prayed  with 
him,  wept.  O  that  his  heart  may  )ield  to  the  invitations  of  Divine 
love! 

^'January  joth. — The  number  of  seamen  calling  at  the  office 
clearly  indicates  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  moving  powerfully 
among  them.  They  listen  to  the  words  of  Gospel  truth  as  if  they 
felt  their  very  souls'  salvation  depended  upon  their  hearing  it 
aright.  God  grant  that  it  may  be  made  effectual  to  their  salva- 
tion. Poor  fellows  !  they  suffer  so  much  in  the  present  life,  I 
would  they  might  escape  from  suffering  in  the  world  to  come ; 
therefore  it  is  that  my  solicitude  is  so  intense  for  their  souls. 

*'  On  the  31st  an  amiable  young  man  of  eighteen  came  to  me, 
and  in  a  tremulous  voice  said,  'Will  you  please  pray  for  me }  I  am 
very  much  interested  about  my  soul's  salvation,  and  I  wish  to  give 
myself  to  my  dear  Saviour.  To-night  Isaw  him  again.  He  said, 
*  This  is  the  happiest  moment  of  my  life.  I  have  found  my  precious 
Saviour  !'  This  youth  was  one  of  six  children,  all  of  whom,  with 
the  father  and  mother,  were  without  God  in  the  world.  His 
conversion  was  the  entering  wedge  of  Godliness  to  that  family, 
and  they  were  all  subsequently  converted.  The  mother  and  three 
sons  became  members  of  my  church.  The  sons  all  went  into  the 
war  as   Christian  soldiers,    and  maintained  their   integrity  and 


PASTORAL   SOLICITUDE.  IQI 

Christian  firmness,  amid  the  temptations  of  the  camp.  The 
daughters  married  Christian  men.  They  are  now  scaUerod  over 
the  country^,  east  and  west,  fathers  and  mothers  of  children,  who,  I 
trust,  will  be  trained  for  the  Lord. " 

These  are  but  samples  of  the  work  in  which  we  were 
engaged.  Events  similar  to  those  here  recorded  were 
occurring  almost  daily.  To  multiply  them  would  give 
sameness  and  prolixity.  There  are,  however,  three  fea- 
tures of  our  work,  the  record  of  which  is  essential  to  any- 
thing like  a  complete  description  of  the  causes  from 
which  flowed  such  marvellous  effects.  These  are  the 
monthly  concert  of  prayer,  the  social  meetings,  and  the 
auxiliary  volunteers.  The  monthly  concert  of  prayer 
was  a  necessary  outgrowth  of  the  organization  of  the 
church.  Very  early  in  my  ministry,  in  New  York,  I 
urged  the  men  who  came  under  my  pastoral  notice  to 
write,  if  possible,  from  every  port.  I  had  a  double  pur- 
pose in  this  request.  First,  I  wished  to  know  whether 
the  impressions  made  upon  their  minds  while  vn  shore, 
were  permanent ;  and  if  so,  whether  they  increased  or 
diminished  in  intensity.  Secondly,  how  far  their  influ- 
ence was  effectual  in  molding  the  opinions  and  lives  of 
their  shipmates.  This  correspondence  would  lead  the 
seaman  to  notice  the  progress  of  his  own  spiritual  life, 
and  to  watch  against  any  conduct  that  would  bring 
reproach  on  the  Christian  name  which  he  bore.  At  the 
same  time  it  would  put  me  in  possession  of  such  facts  as 
would  be  of  value  in  cautioning  others  in  the  incipiency 
of  their  Christian  life,  and  supply  me  also  with  arguments 
with  which  to  urge  them  on  in  the  good  work. 

As  an  inducement  to  faithfulness  in  this  direction, 
I  promised,  on  my  part,  to  respond  on  all  suitable  occa- 


192  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

sions  to  their  epistles,  and  give  such  counsel  and  direc- 
tions as  would  encourage  them  in  their  Christian  course. 
In  consequence  of  this   arrangement,  a  burden   of  duty 
rested  on  me,  which,  at  length,  in  connection  with  other 
multiplying  cares,  assumed  alarming  proportions.      Lest 
I  should  even  seem  to  exaggerate,  I  will  give  the  figures 
from  actual  records.     During  the  last  three  months  of 
1854,  I  wrote  eighty-nine  letters  ;  in  1855,  three  hundred 
and   ninety-three;   in    1856,   four  hundred   and  five  ;  in 
1857,  four  hundred  and  thirty- five  ;  in   1858,  five  hun- 
dred and   sixty-two;  in  1859,  eight  hundred   and   fifty- 
three  ;  in  i860,  nine  hundred  and  seventy-one  ;  in  1861, 
ten  hundred   and  sixty;  in   1862,  eleven   hundred  and 
forty-five  ;  and  in  a  part  of  1863,  eight  hundred  and  ten. 
That  is,  in   eight  years   and  six    months,   six   thousand 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-six.     These  were  sent  to  over 
two  hundred  men-of-war,  in  addition  to  merchant  vessels, 
and  to  more  than  two  hundred  different  points,  represent- 
ing the  five  great  divisions  of  the  globe.     The  largest 
number  written  in  any  one  month,  was  one  hundred  and 
forty-six;    in    January,     1863.       The    largest    number 
received  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven,  in  the  same 
month.     The  average   of  letters   written,  from   1859  to 
1863,  was  largely  over  one  thousand  per  annum,  and  the 
average  received  for  the  same  period  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-seven.     The  reason    for  computing    the  average 
from  1859  instead  of  1855,  is  that  it  was  after  the  revival 
of  1858,  onboard  the  U.  S.  recruiting- ship  'North  Caro- 
lina,'  that  the   correspondence   very   largely   increased. 
It  will  be  readily  seen  that  in  so  voluminous  an  inter- 
chanee  of  letters  there  must  have  been  much  that  was 
of  too  great  intrinsic  value  to  be  selfishly  enjoyed  by  the 


SOCIAL    MEETING.  I93 

pastor  alone,  or  to  be  left  slumbering  uselessly  in  the 
pigeon-holes  of  the  office-desk  ;  hence  the  inauguration 
of  a  monthly  concert  of  prayer. 

At  this  meeting,  on  the  evening  of  the  first  Sabbath 
of  the  month,  extracts  from  sailors'  letters  were  read  from 
the  pulpit.  By  this  arrangement.  Christian  seamen, 
from  every  zone,  were  brought  into  sympathetic  unity 
with  their  brethren  at  home.  It  was  always  a  stimulating 
as  well  as  an  instructive  exercise.  It  interested  Christiaa 
workers  of  different  denominations,  who  came  down  in 
large  numbers  from  the  uptown  churches,  and  who,  catch- 
ing the  divine  glow  as  it  shone  forth  in  the  correspond- 
ence of  these  earnest  men  of  the  sea,  were  incited  to 
greater  efforts  in  their  own  church  work.  This  exercise 
growing  in  interest,  and  in  the  extent  of  its  influence, 
proved,  as  the  revival  spread,  a  rich  blessing  to  many 
souls. 

The  venerable  Doctor  Wm.  Adams  preached  for  me 
one  Sabbath  evening,  and  in  the  course  of  his  address, 
expressing  his  approval  of  our  methods  of  working,  said : 

*We,  in  our  efforts  in  the  up-town  churches,  seem  to  be  like 
one  who  has  arranged  a  number  of  bottles,  and  attempts  to  fill 
them  by  throwing  a  pailful  of  water  over  them.  By  this  process 
a  few  drops  may  fall  into  each  ;  but  you,  more  wisely,  take  each 
bottle  by  the  neck,  and  with  a  funnel  in  its  mouth,  fill  it  to  the 
brim." 

The  second  of  these  elements  of  usefulness  was  the 
social  meeting.  This  was  estabhshed  immediately  after 
the  church  was  organized.  On  the  second  Wednesday 
evening  of  each  month  the  parlors  of  the  parsonage  were 
thrown  open  to  the  members  of  the  church  and  congre- 
gation. On  the  previous  Sabbath  an  invitation  was 
13 


194  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

given  from  the  pulpit  to  all  sailors,  irrespective  of  color,  or 
nationality,  or  rank,  to  be  present,  from  seven  o'clock  until 
ten,  at  which  hour,  sharp,  the  meeting  closed  with  sing- 
ing, prayer  and  the  benediction.  The  evening  was 
occupied  in  general  conversation,  and  simple  refreshments 
were  served.  On  many  occasions,  from  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  were  present.  At  these  gather- 
ings the  church  members  became  better  acquainted  with 
each  other,  and  with  the  congregation,  and  special  effort 
was  made  on  the  part  of  pastor  and  people  to  introduce 
sailors  to  their  true  friends  and  to  each  other.  In  this  way 
friendships  were  formed  which  in  some  instances  ripened 
into  affection,  and  continued  "  until  death  do  us  part." 
These  ocean  wanderers  were  made  to  feel  that  they  were 
not  only  welcome,  but  that  they  were  conferring  a  real 
pleasure  on  those  who  desired  to  do  them  good. 

I  am  more  than  satisfied  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  compute  the  value  of  the  influence  exerted  by  this 
meeting.  The  impressions  made  by  it  on  the  minds  of 
seamen,  as  well  as  their  morals,  was  manifestly  great  and 
good.  This  was  seen  in  the  avidity  with  which  they 
availed  themselves  of  the  invitations  to  attend,  the 
pleasure  they  had  in  anticipating  the  time  of  its  recur- 
rence, and  in  the  fact  that  it  became  full  often  the  staple 
of  conversation  in  the  forecastle  and  in  the  cabin  at  sea. 
It  was  accepted  by  the  sailors  as  a  practical  evidence  of 
our  desire  to  do  tliem  good,  and  was  appreciated  accord- 
ingly. Its  effect  was  noted  in  the  effort  put  forth  on  the 
part  of  the  men  to  "tidy  up,"  both  in  dress  and  manners 
for  the  occasion.  Sometimes  one,  who  had  ventured  in 
for  the  first  time,  after  glancing  at  the  surroundings, 
would  slip   out  again,  run  to  his  boarding-house,  and, 


AUXILIARY    VOLUNTEERS.  I95 

after  some  attention  to  his  toilet,  return  and  enjoy  the 
rest  of  the  evening.  A  meeting  of  this  kind  was,  of 
course,  attended  with  labor,  care,  expense  and  self-denial 
on  the  part  of  the  household.  But  my  wife  and  children 
were  so  heartily  in  accord  with  the  work,  and  in  sucU 
deep  sym^pathy  with  my  efforts,  that  it  became  literally  a 
labor  of  love. 

AUXILIARY   VOLUNTEERS. 

The  third  feature,  to  which  we  owed  much  of  our  suc- 
cess, was  the  organization  of  a  band  of  young  men,  who, 
having  volunteered  for  the  work,  districted  those  portions 
of  the  city  where  sailors  ''  most  do  congregate,"  and  went 
out  two  by  two,  as  did  the  evangelists  in  the  days  of  our 
Lord,  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  men  to  the  house  of 
God.  A  montlily  report  of  the  numbers  thus  brought  in 
showed  that  in  the  course  of  a  year  an  average  of  four 
thousand  persons  were  induced  to  attend  divine  service, 
many  of  whom,  in  all  probability,  would  never  have 
trodden  the  sacred  courts  but  for  their  self-denying  effort 
Certain  it  is,  that  many  have  attributed  their  first  re- 
ligious impressions  to  the  visits  made  in  accordance  with 
those  invitations.  I  have  the  names  of  many  who  were 
thus  aUured  from  the  haunts  of  sin.  Some  of  these 
rescued  ones  are  in  positions  of  honor,  and  trust,  an  1 
usefulness  to-day.  Some  are  in  the  ministry,  and  are  in* 
no  wise  am.ong  the  least  useful  of  their  class. 

I  ought  to  mention  here  an  encouraging   fact,  which 
serves  to  illustrate  how  God  sometimes 

' '  Creates  a  soul 
Under  the  ribs  of  death. '" 

In   other  v/ords,  how   death   is   the   means   often   of 


1C)6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

bringing  a  soul  to  life.  On  the  third  Sabbath  in  Jan- 
uary, 1856,  I  preached  on  the  loss  of  the  ship  St.  Denis, 
of  New  York,  which  foundered  at  sea  on  her  passage  to 
Havre,  thirteen  days  previous.  By  this  calamity  Cap- 
tain Follansbie  and  thirty-four  of  his  passengers  and 
crew  found  a  watery  grave — eleven  only,  out  of  a  total  of 
forty-six,  escaping  in  a  boat  which  had  been  stove  and 
had  one  of  her  gunwales  torn  off.  So  fearful  a  disaster 
seemed  to  me  to  call  for  more  than  ordinary  mention.  I 
felt  that  it  offered  an  opportunity  for  a  practical  appeal 
to  the  men  of  the  sea,  and  especially  to  the  members  of 
my  own  congregation,  many  of  whom  were,  like  the 
Apostle,  "  in  deaths  oft"  I  took  for  my  text,  **  There  is 
sorrow  on  the  sea."  Jen  xlix.  23.  I  made  this  the 
basis  of  an  appeal  to  men  to  prepare  to  meet  their  God. 
I  have  very  little  recollection  of  what  I  said,  or  how  I 
said  it,  having  made  only  a  skeleton  of  the  discourse. 
But  I  know  the  people  were  moved  to  tears — a  tide  of 
emotion  swept  ov^er  the  audience.  Many  hearts  were 
bowed  under  that  sorrow,  many  souls  were  filled  with 
anguish.  It  was  a  most  solemn  season.  The  imme- 
diate effect  of  it  was  the  inquiry  on  the  part  of  many, 
*'  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 

During  the  week  the  fruit  began  to  appear.  At  the 
Tuesday  evening  lecture  a  number  of  young  men  were 
present,  who,  at  the  close  of  the  service,  gathered  into 
the  study.  Some  fifteen  of  them,  burdened  with  a  sense 
of  sin,  were  asking  prayers  and  inquiring  what  they 
should  do  to  secure  the  salvation  of  their  souls  ?  A  few 
days  later  I  received  a  letter  frem  a  sailor,  dated  Janu- 
ary 31st,  in  which  he  says  : 

"My  dear  Sir — I  have  pleasure  m  "stnthig  to  yon  that  I  am 


LOSS   OF   THE    ST.    DENIS.  1 97 

much  happier  than  I  was  when  I  first  heard  you  preach  the 
Gospel  which  saves  the  souls  of  poor  seamen.  1  was  invited  by 
a  friend  to  go  and  hear  you  preach  a  sermon  on  the  loss  of  the 
St.  Denis,  and  I  must  say,  that  that  was  a  happy  sermon  to  me. 
It  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  felt  that  I  had  a  soul  to  be 
saved.  Since  then  I  have  spent  my  time  in  praising  God.  I 
can  testify  that  I  have  been  happier  than  ever  I  was  before. 
My  tongue  cannot  give  expression  to  the  joy  I  feel  at  present  in 
the  assurance  of  my  soul's  eternal  walfare.  It  is  joy  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory  to  be  able  to  throw  myself  at  the  foot  of  the 
Cross,  and  say  to  Jesus,  my  Saviour  : 

*  Here  Lord,  I  give  myself  away, 
'Tis  all  that  I  can  do.' 

"I  know  that  I  must  expect  to  suff"er  for  his  sake,  but  the 
Scripture  says,  '  If  a  man  suifer  as  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be 
ashamed. ' 

''J.  F.  K." 

A  couple  of  weeks  later  I  received  a  note  from  Wil- 
mington, N.  C,  dated  February  17th,  1856,  from  the 
second-officer  of  a  vessel,  saying  : 

"  I  am  pleased  to  have  an  opportunity  of  informing  you  that 
I  am  well  ;  and  above  all,  I  am  thankful  to  the  Lord  for  so 
great  a  blessing  as  that  which  I  have  received.  The  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  fills  my  soul  with  joy  inexpressible.  I  do  thank 
God  that  I  was  spared  to  hear  that  sermon  that  you  preached  on 
the  loss  of  the  Saint  Denis.  It  has  proved  a  blessed  one  to  me. 
I  felt  when  I  heard  it,  that,  without  the  assistance  of  God,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  me  to  be  saved.  I  desire  an  interest  in 
the  prayers  of  your  congregation,  that  I  may  be  kept  ever  in  the 
strait  and  narrow  way  that  leads  to  life  everlasting.  Please  an- 
swer this  as  soon  as  you  receive  it,  and  if  there  are  any  letters 
for  me,  forward  them,  and  oblige  your  humble  servant, 

"A.  W.  H." 


198  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

Still  later,  March  28th,  1856,  an  affectionate  missive 
came  to  me  from  Barbadoes,  W.  I.,  in  which  the  writer 
says  : 

"  I  send  you  a  written  testimony  of  my  conversion  to  God. 
It  is  with  a  deep  interest  in  Divine  things  that  I  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  this  voyage.  It  is  entirely  unlike  any  of  the  former 
ones.  Old  things  are  fast  fading  away,  and  new  and  holy 
thoughts  are  taking  their  places.  O,  sir,  I  never  knew  before 
what  a  blessed  thing  religion  is  !  I  shall  ever  consider  the  day 
on  which  I  first  saw  you,  as  the  happiest  day  of  my  life.  My 
mind  is  at  ease — my  soul  is  lifted  up  above  all  earthly  thoughts 
or  cares.  The  more  I  think  upon  my  Saviour's  loving  kindness, 
the  more  am  I  convinced  of  my  own  unworthiness.  I  am  only 
sorr}^  that  I  did  not  commence  earlier ;  but  I  will  trust  in  the 
Lord,  and  hope  to  receive  that  grace  which  he  has  promised  to 
all." 

Expressing  a  strong  desire  to  be  once  more  in  our 
church,  where  he  was  first  awakened  to  his  peril,  he 
closes  by  saying: 

"  I  hope  many  more  have  been  led  to  review  their  past  lives, 
and  see  themselves  in  their  true  light.  This  is  the  constant 
prayer  of  your  sincere  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 

*'F.  C.   H." 

Surely  such  testimonies  indicate  that  the  Divine  worjf 
is  accompanied  and  enforced  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  as  in  Apostolic  times,  and  that  nothing  is  too  hard 
for  the  Lord.  Such  evidences  of  Divine  and  gracious 
interposition  also  illustrate  the  susceptibility  of  the  sailor's 
heart  to  the  renovating  power  of  Gospel  truth.  Of  these 
men  at  the  meeting  of  January  24th,  1856,  one,  over 
sixty  years  old,  had  been  fifty  years  at  sea,  and  had  only 


LOSS    OF   THE    ST.    DENIS.  1 99 

given  his  heart  to  God  the  week  previous.  Another,  who 
had  been  at  sea  thirty-five  years,  surrendered  to  the  Di- 
vine spirit  on  that  very  day.  No  better  evidence  of  the 
value  and  permanence  of  these  impressions  can  be  given 
than  the  fact  that  both  these  men  are  to-day,  Januar\^, 
1884,  inmates  of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  are  still  wallc- 
ing  in  the  way  of  the  Lord,  maintaining  a  marked  Chris- 
tian character,  and  are  growing  stronger  and  stronger 
each  day. 

Another  incident  connected  with  this  blessed  work  of 
grace  claims  a  record  here,  because  it  resulted  in  the  con- 
version of  almost  an  entire  ship's  crew,  officers  included. 

It  was  on  the  23  rd  of  January.  I  had  spent  the  two 
days  previous  in  procuring  clothing  for  the  survivors  of 
the  ship  St.  Denis,  who,  the  day  after  their  vessel  went 
down,  v/ere  rescued  in  mid  ocean,  having  lost  everything 
but  what  they  stood  in.  The  American  Seamen's  Friend 
Society  had  appropriated  one  hundred  dollars  toward  the 
outfit  of  eight  of  the  number.  Filled  with  sympathy  for 
the  poor  fellows,  and  grateful  to  God  for  the  privilege  of 
assisting  in  making  provision  for  their  wants,  I  took  ad- 
vantage of  their  deliverance  to  impress  upon  their  minds 
the  necessity  of  consecrating  to  God's  service  the  lives  he 
had  so  mercifully  spared,  and  was  gratified  to  hear  them 
express  their  purpose  to  be  more  thoughtful  of  divine 
things  for  the  future.  As  they  left  me  with  their  thanks- 
givings and  their  expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  favors 
received  still  ringing  in  my  ears,  my  heart  went  up  to 
my  heavenly  Father  in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  his 
abounding  grace  in  placing  me  where  I  could  be  of  ser- 
vice to  these  men,  who  were  so  hungry  for  human  sym- 
pathy. 


200  FIFTY    YEARS   AxMONG    SAILORS. 

In  this  frame  of  mind,  although  so  fatigued  as  to  make 
it  painful  to  walk,  I  went  in  the  evening  to  the  prayer- 
meeting  at  the  Sailors'  Home,  at  which  many  seamen 
were  present.  I  made  a  fervent  appeal  to  them  to  sub- 
mit to  Christ,  enforcing  my  argument,  by  a  reference  to 
the  loss  of  the  Saint  Denis.  There  w^as  great  solemnity 
in  the  audience,  and  not  a  few  were  in  tears.  At  the 
close  of  the  meeting  the  chief-ofhcer  of  the  ship,  Robert 
Parker,  came  to  me,  and  said :  "  You,  sir,  are  the  first 
man  who  has  ever  touched  my  heart,  and  I  feel  a  strong 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  my  soul.  What  shall  I  do  !  " 
At  the  same  moment  the  second-officer  of  the  same  ves- 
sel drew  near  and  addressed  me.  He  was  in  a  similar 
condition,  and  desired  help.  I  invited  them  both  to  my 
study.  They  came  home  with  me,  accompanied  by  a 
young  Christian  brother  and  by  the  carpenter  of  their 
own  ship,  who  was  a  professor  of  religion,  and  deeply 
interested  in  the  salvation  of  his  shipmates.  I  spoke  with 
them  some  time  on  the  blessedness  of  the  service  of 
Christ,  and  theimpossibility  of  engaging  in  it  and  meeting 
its  responsibilities,  unless  our  sins  were  purged  away  by 
his  atoning  blood,  and  our  souls  justified  by  faith  in  his 
one  offering  on  the  Cross.  I  also  urged  the  absolute 
necessity  of  submitting  to  him  at  once.  They  both  lis- 
tened attentively,  and  before  leaving,  resolved,  with  divine 
help,  to  live  henceforth  for  Christ  alone,  and  to  give 
themselves  unreservedly  to  him.  I  proposed  to  ratify 
that  purpose  on  the  spot,  and  bowed  in  prayer  with  them. 

When  I  closed,  to  my  surprise,  they  all  four  poured  out 
their  hearts  in  fervent  prayer.  Blessed  be  the  name  of 
the  Lord  !  Thus  the  ice  of  indifference  was  broken,  and 
the  good  work  for  eternity  auspiciously  begun. 


HAPPY  captain!  happy  CREW  !        201 

A  few  days  later  I  visited  their  ship,  to  learn  what  pro- 
gress they  were  making,  and  found  them  happy  in  their 
first  love.  I  encouraged  them  to  persevere,  and  prayed 
with  them  in  the  cabin.  It  was  a  precious  season  to  us 
all.  On  that  day  a  recent  convert  of  our  church  joined 
the  ship,  in  order  that  he  might  be  in  good  company. 
On  the  Sabbath  the  whole  crew  were  at  church.  On 
Wednesday,  the  captain,  a  devout  man,  called  at  the 
study  to  talk  over  the  events  of  the  last  few  days.  He 
rejoiced  greatly  in  the  conversion  of  his  officers,  and  an- 
ticipated the  happiness  to  arise  from  the  changed  condi- 
tion of  things. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  the  ship  to  sail,  and  they 
found  that  they  must  leave  before  the  communion  Sabbath, 
they  expressed  a  desire  to  be  enrolled  as  members  of  the 
new  organization.  They  were  therefore  examined  and 
received  on  a  confession  of  their  faith.  On  the  evening 
before  their  departure,  a  meeting  of  the  members  elect 
was  held  at  the  parsonage,  and  the  Lord's  Supper  admin- 
istered to  them.  It  was  a  solemn  service,  and  one  not 
soon  to  be  forgotten.  On  the  morrow  a  number  of  us 
accompanied  them  to  the  ship.  The  captain  muster- 
ed the  hands  aft,  and  addresses  were  made  by  the  mis- 
sionary and  myself,  urging  them  all  to  faithfulness  in  the 
Lord.  After  which  we  kneeled  and  prayed  with  and 
for  them,  ''committing  them  to  God  and  to  the  word  of 
Ms  grace." 

Shortly  after  this  she  sailed — the  captain,  both  mates, 
the  carpenter,  and  three  of  the  crew  going  forth  in  the 
strength  of  the  Lord.  Happy  captain  1  happy  crew ! 
Before  leaving,  the  second- officer  put  into  my  hands  the 
folio  wing  expression  of  thanks ; 


202  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

''To  you,  sir,  and  the  kind  friends  who  have  manifested  so 
much  interest  in  me  since  I  came  to  New  York,  I  am  truly 
grateful.  I  thank  God,  too,  for  sending  me  here.  I  am  a 
brand  plucked  from  the  burning.  He  has  delivered  me  from 
the  bonds  of  Satan,  in  which  I  have  been  held  so  many  years. 
From  this  time  I  feel  determined  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  to  travel 
in  the  good  old  way  until  I  arrive  where  Jesus,  my  great  Captain, 
has  gone.  May  God  bless  you,  and  put  words  in  your  mouth 
^Jiat  will  show  some  poor  sinner  the  error  of  his  way,  as  you  have 
shown  me  the  error  of  mine.  Pray  for  me  while  I  am  away,  that 
I  may  return  rich  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ" 

The  chief- officer  sent  the  following  note,  which  I  give 
entire,  because  it  displays  the  true  missionary  spirit  which 
animated  so  many  of  our  sailor  converts : 

'^  Dear  Brother  and  Friend — It  is  with  feelings  of  gratitude  to 
God  that  I  send  these  lines  to  you,  as  an  expression  of  my  grate- 
ful feelings  to  you,  and  the  kind  friends  in  New  York,  for  the 
affectionate  interest  they  have  shown  to  me  and  my  shipmates, 
both  for  time  and  eternity.  I  hope,  sir,  that  the  good  I  have 
experienced  under  your  ministry  will  produce  a  holy  life  in  me, 
and  that  the  Lord  will  make  me  useful  in  his  hands  in  bringing 
many  poor  sinners  out  of  that  darkness  of  sin,  in  which  I  spent 
so  many  years  of  my  life.  I  pray,  too,  that  many  more  may,  by 
your  instrumentality,  be  brought  to  see  their  fallen  condition,  and 
flee  to  him  who  came  to  seek  and  save  them  that  are  lost.  Pray 
for  me,  that  I  may  be  faithful  to  the  Lord. " 

On  the  eleventh  of  April  following,  the  captain  wrote 
from  Liverpool  as  follows : 

"  Through  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God,  we  were  brought 
in  safety  to  our  destination.  After  leaving  New  York,  we  com- 
menced prayers  in  the  evening,  and  on  the  Sabbath,  wind  and 


HAPPY  CAPTAIN  !  HAPPY  CREW  !       203 

weather  permitting,  and  we  always  had  a  good  attendance.  I 
was  pleased  to  find,  also,  that  a  number  of  the  crew  met  some- 
times in  the  second  cabin,  and  sometimes  in  the  forecastle,  to 
sing  the  praise  of  him  who  controls  both  wind  and  sea.  We 
ha\e  often  united  in  prayer  for  the  prosperity  of  the  Mariners* 
church  in  New  York,  and  for  you,  that  you  may  be  successful  in 
the  very  important  work  to  w^hich  you  have  been  called.  You 
will  have  much  to  try  you,  much  to  contend  with,  but  do  not  be 
discouraged.  More  is  he  who  is  for  you  than  all  that  can  be 
against  you.  Never  give  up  the  cause  of  seamen.  May  God 
bless  and  prosper  you  in  your  work,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your 
unworthy  brother  in  the  faith  of  Jesus. " 

Another  illustration  of  the  unselfish  and  laborious  ef- 
forts of  these  consecrated  men  of  the  sea,  comes  to  me 
through  a  beloved  brother  whose  heart  is  in  the  work  : 

''New  York,  March  2nd,  i8s6. 

'' Dear  Brother — ^Under  the  hope  that  the  following  intelligence 
may  be  encouraging  to  God's  people,  I  enclose  it.  Mr.  George 
A.  Seaver,  a  young  man  who  was  bred  to  the  sea,  but  who  was 
brought  by  the  grace  of  God  to  the  saving  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  about  three  years  since,  and  is  now  pursuing  his 
studies  at  a  western  college,  with  the  view  of  preaching  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  to  a  perishing 
world,  writes  under  date  of  the  23  rd  ult,  with  the  pleasing  infor- 
mation that  they  are  enjoying  an  outpouring  of  God's  Holy  Spirit 
on  the  institution.     The  following  is  an  extract  from  his  letter  : 

"The  Spirit  of  God  is  being  poured  out  upon  us  here,  and  the 
vilest  of  our  students  are  turning  to  the  Lord.  It  is  a  joyful 
sight.  The  Saviour  is  exalted,  and  prayer  and  praise  are  bursting 
forth  from  every  heart  in  the  college.  I  have  great  cause  to  re- 
joice, for  the  first  of  these  converts  was  my  room-mate,  and  now 
there  are  one  hundred  or  more  added  to  that  one.  jNIay  God 
send  me  another  room-mate  who  is  unacquainted  with  the  love  of 


1 


204  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SEAMEN. 

our  Immanuel,  and  crown  my  efforts  and  prayers  with  his  convi:^*^ 
sion- 

"A  gentleman  residing  in  Chicago  told  me  a  few  days  since, 
that  God  is  also  greatly  blessing  the  labors  of  our  good  Brother 
Leonard,  of  the  Bethel  church  there  ;  that  there  is  a  precious  re- 
vival. Daily  meetings  are  held,  sailors  and  their  wives  and  oth- 
ers flocking  to  the  church  and  asking,  '  What  must  I  do  to  be 
saved  .?'  He  adds,  '  It  is  only  in  this  Bethel  that  there  appears 
any  particular  interest  of  a  spiritual  nature.  Blessed  be  God  for 
these  and  other  manifestations  of  his  mercy  !  and  that  he  is  doing 
so  much  for  and  through  these  men  of  the  sea.  May  these  mer- 
cies be  only  the  precursor  of  a  mighty  shower  of  Divine  grace  on 
the  sons  of  the  ocean,  and  may  the  time  rapidly  approach  when 
the  precious  prediction  shall  be  fulfilled,  '  Because  the  abundance 
of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  unto  thee,  the  forces  of  the  Gentiles 
shall  come  unto  thee."  (Isa.  Ix.  5.) 


CHAPTER    X. 

COADJUTORS — WHAT   THE   LIGHTNING   DID. 

Increasing  labors — My  coadjutors — William  D.  Harris — His  work — His 
death — Testimony  to  his  faithfulness— Captain  Gelston — His  conversion 
— Missionary  spirit— Sailors'  Home — Love  for  souls — L.  P.  Hubbard — 
Bible  distribution  —  Faithful  worker  —  Ola  Helland  —  Sailor  turned 
pr-eacher — Scandinavian  services — Chaplain— J.  H.  Gardner— Conversion 
— Baxter's  Call — Thirty  years  of  missionary  life — Captam  Elliott — Ten 
years  before  the  mast — Prayer  on  the  topsail  yard — Conversion — Rapid 
promotion — Preaching  captain — Paternal  discipline — Doctor  Damon's 
testimony — Closing  scene — Other  names — What  the  lightning  did — An 
English  school-ship — Precociously  profane — Struck  by  lightning — Nev- 
ins's  Practical  Thoughts — Burden  falls  off — Mariners'  church — New  life — 
Working  for  Christ — The  last  voyage — Cry  of  despair — Worship  at  sea 
— Souls  converted — Prayers  in  the  forecastle — Foremost  in  the  fight — 
Total  separation — The  missing  bark. 

With  the  birth  of  the  new  enterprise,  fresh  impetus 
was  given  to  our  church  work.  The  Lord  smiled  on  our 
efforts,  followed  them  with  increased  prosperity,  and 
inspired  us  all  with  hope  for  the  future.  Calls  to  labor 
multiplied,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  An  impression 
having  gone  out  that  the  Lord  was  with  us  of  a  truth, 
requests  for  assistance  and  information  came  from  other 
churches.  To  all  of  these,  as  far  as  I  could,  v/ithout 
detriment  to  our  own  field,  I  cheerfully  responded,  and 
entered  every  open  door.     With   each  year  the  labors 

205 


206  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

were  more  varied  and  abundant.  I  was  favored  in  this, 
however,  that  while  I  was  lending  a  helping  hand  to 
others,  the  laboring  oar  was  cheerfully  seized  by  coadjutors 
at  home.  Never  was  man  more  blessed  than  I  in  the 
number,  character,  zeal  and  energy  of  my  helpers.  No 
record  of  our  successful  career  would  be  complete  if  these 
indefatigable  and  self-denying  workers,  four  of  whom 
have  preceded  me  to  the  better  land,  had  not  honorable 
mention. 

Foremost  among  these  was  Wm.  D.  Harris,  a  Christian 
gentleman  of  refinement  and  education,  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Port  Society.  He  was  among  the  first  to  welcome 
me  to  my  new  field  of  labor.  Always  full  of  affectionate 
and  fraternal  sympathy,  he  gave  me  his  hearty  support; 
which,  under  all  our  varied  and  exciting  experiences,  con- 
tinued unbroken  to  the  end.  He  was  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  sailor,  and  to  the  success  of  the  church  ; 
eminently  laborious,  severely  practical,  and  in  every 
department  pre-eminently  useful.  Having  travelled  by 
sea  as  a  supercargo  in  his  earlier  days,  he  became  familiar 
with  the  trials,  exposure  and  moral  needs  of  the 
men  of  the  sea.  To  them  he  gave  thirty-five  years  of 
unselfish  labor,  twenty-nine  of  which  he  was  connected 
with  the  Port  Society.  Having  no  home  cares,  he 
employed  his  time  in  caring  for  others.  He  was  in  the 
habit  of  carrying  assorted  tracts  with  him,  and  a  well 
filled  wallet ;  and  the  cases  of  real  need,  either  physical 
or  spiritual,  that  he  did  not  relieve,  were  few  indeed. 
His  general  oversight  of  church  affairs,  his  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  families  of  the  congregation,  and 
his  anxiety  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  all,  made  him 
an  invaluable  assistant  in  my  pastoral  work.     He  entered 


CAPTAIN    GELSTON.  20/ 

irito  rest  in  July,  1875,  aged  seventy-four  years.  The 
Port  Society,  on  that  occasion,  passed,  among  other 
complimentary  resolutions,  the  following : 

"  Resolved,  The  bright  Christian  example  of  our  late  associate, 
as  shown  in  his  consistent  life,  his  ardent  piety,  his  love  for 
souls,  his  constant  endeavor  to  win  sinners  to  Christ,  his  open 
ear  to  sufferings'  cry,  and  ready  hand  to  relieve  the  distressed,  is 
well  worthy  of  our  imitation,  and  should  be  an  incentive  for  us 
to  follow  in  his  steps. '"' 

He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do  follow  him. 
May  the  blessed  succession  of  faithful  laborers  in  this  field 
of  Christian  effort  never  die  out. 

Captain  Roland  Gelston  was  a  man  of  different 
type,  but  none  the  less  devoted  and  useful  in  his  sphere. 
He  entered  the  ship  by  the  hawse-hole,  and  Avith  com- 
mendable energy,  integrity  and  untiring  effort,  worked 
his  way  aft  to  the  quarter-deck,  which,  by  frugality  and 
industry,  he  was  at  length  enabled  to  walk  as  master 
and  owner.  With  a  common-school  education  he  com- 
bined much  practical  wisdom  and  business  tact,  and  en- 
joyed "the  blessing  of  God,"  which  "  maketh  rich,  and  he 
addeth  no  sorrov/  therewith."  He  had  a  large  heart,  and 
a  charity  that  looked  upon  every  man  as  his  brother.  As 
an  of^cer.  he  ruled  by  love  rather  than  by  law,  and  never 
found  discipline  impaired  by  its  exercise.  In  his  tongue 
was  the  law  of  kindness.  He  had  an  attractive  smile  and 
a  winning  tone  that  drew  men  toward  him,  and  through 
him  to  the  Saviour,  whom  he  so  tenderly  loved.  It  was 
while  chief-ofificer  of  a  vessel  that  he  w^as  brought  to  see 
himself  a  sinner,  and  to  consecrate  himself  to  Christ.  In 
this   act   there  was  no  mental  reservation,  no  half-way 


208  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

surrender.  The  offering  he  laid  upon  God's  altar  was  a 
holocaust — spirit,  soul,  body,  time,  talent,  influence — all 
—all  "filled  his  hand"  when  he  gave  himself  to  Christ. 

In  1837  ^^^  ^^ft  t^^^  sea  to  engage  in  missionary  work. 
He  held  meetings  on  shipboard  and  along  the  wharves,  j 
distributed  the  Scriptures  and  other  religious  reading  j 
matter,  and  persuaded  men  to  abstain  from  intoxicating 
drinks.  The  scenes  of  drunkenness  and  iniquity  he  witness- 
ed in  rumselling  boarding-houses — almost  the  only  ones 
then  known — led  him  to  suggest  the  importance  and  ne- 
cessity of  establishing  decent  boarding-houses  on  temper- 
ance principles,  where  the  sailor  would  be  removed  from 
the  temptations  of  strong  drink.  He  became  a  prime 
mover  in  that  enterprise. 

In  conjunction  with  my  predecessor,  Rev.  Henry 
Chase,  and  a  band  of  Christian  women  from  the  different 
evangelical  churches,  a  temperance  boarding-house,  call- 
ed the  "Sailors'  Home,"  was  furnished  and  opened  under 
his  management,  at  No.  140  Cherry  street,  in  1838.  This 
new  undertaking  contributed  much  toward  the  moral 
elevation  of  seamen,  and  became  an  efficient  auxiliary 
to  the  mariners'  churches.  The  movement  became  pop- 
ular, and  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  American  Sea- 
men's Friend  Society,  grew  into  the  more  commodious 
Home,  190  Cherry  street,  opened  under  his  supervision 
and  conducted  by  him  in  1842.  He  was  "instant  in  sea- 
son, out  of  season — in  every  good  work  abounding."  He 
continued  to  visit  ships  and  hospitals  and  boarding-houses 
with  the  word  of  life,  and  his  labors  were  signally  blest. 

Subsequently  he  returned  to  sea-life,  and  took  com- 
mand of  a  barque,  of  which  he  was  part  owner.  While 
trading  on  the  West  Coast,   he  visited    San  Francisco. 


MISSIONARY    SPIRIT.  209 

This  was  before  the  discovery  of  gold.  Here  he  was  in- 
duced to  invest  in  a  tract  of  land,  which  afterwards  be- 
came a  source  of  more  trouble  than  profit,  and  from  which 
he  realized  only  disappointment  and  sorrow.  After  Cal- 
ifornia came  into  the  Union,  the  title  by  which  he  held 
was  ignored  by  the  courts,  and  he  died,  poor  in  this 
world's  goods,  but  rich  in  faith,  and  an  ''  heir  of  the  king- 
dom." 

My  first  acquaintance  with  Captain  Gelston  was  in  184 1, 
while  I  vvas  yet  a  sailor.  Our  mutual  interest  in  the 
Mariners'  church,  was  welded  at  a  later  date.  In  the 
summer  of  1855,  in  the  intervals  of  his  short  voyages  to 
Central  America,  he  was  a  constant  attendant  upon  our 
church  services.  He  threw  himself  with  all  the  energy 
of  his  loving  soul  into  the  blessed  work.  It  was  he  who 
organized  the  band  of  young  volunteers  who  visited  the 
lower  wards  of  the  city  to  invite  sailors  to  the  house  of 
God.  His  missionary  spirit  was  ever  on  the  alert.  A 
letter  received  from  him  while  passenger  on  board  one  of 
the  Pacific  Mail  steamships,  will  illustrate  this.  It  is 
dated  at  sea,  April  26th,  1856 : 

' '  As  we  have  no  minister  on  board,  we  shall  have  no  religious 
service  to-day,  but  many  of  my  fellow  cabin  passengers  will  un- 
expectedly find  a  tract  in  their  slate-rooms — nor  will  the  forward 
passengers  be  neglected.  We  have  a  pious  steward  on  board,  ^ 
and  by  his  assistance  my  stock  of  tracts  will  be  fully  distributed  ; 
every  one  of  them  a  sermon,  if  owned  and  blessed  of  God. 
How  often  do  they  prove,  among  persons  situated  as  we  are, 
more  powerful  than  the  voice  of  the  living  preacher  in  awakening 
the  careless  and  thoughtless  !  No  church-going  bell  will  be  heard 
here  to-day.  They  will  therefore  receive  these  welcome  mes- 
sengers, as  cold  water  to  the  thirsty  soul,  as  '  good  news  from  a 
far  countr}\' 
14 


210  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

'•'You  will,  I  trust,  remember  and  pray  for  me  and  for  all 
others,  on  the  sea,  who  are  laboring  as  the  Lord  shall  give  them 
heart  and  opportunity,  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of  those 
v/ho  'go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships/  and  for  whom  Jesus  died.  I 
hink  seamen  must  be  peculiarly  dear  to  the  Redeemer,  as  he  has 
declared  his  intention,  by  them  as  instruments,  to  bring  about  the 
ingathering  of  the  nations.  For  only  when  they  are  converted, 
will  the  Gentiles  come  in.  May  the  Lord  prosper  and  keep  you! 
IVIay  your  hands  be  stayed  by  the  prayers  of  your  brethren,  and 
constant  accessions  be  made  to  the  numbers  of  those  who  shall 
be  finally  saved. " 

The  correspondence  of  this  dear  brother,  his  counsels 
and  his  co-operation,  while  ashore,  were  of  incalculable 
value  to  me  in  my  ministry,  from  1855  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  in  California,  in  August,  1868. 

Another  of  these  devoted  men  was  LuTHER  P.  HUB- 
BARD, our  recording  secretary  and  assistant  treasurer. 
Before  coming  to  us  he  had  been  for  seventeen  years  the 
efficient  and  only  agent  of  the  New  York  City  Bible  Soci- 
ety. His  labors  were  principally  among  the  seamen  of  the 
port.  Under  the  direction  of  the  Marine  Committee,  he  dis- 
tributed copies  of  the  sacred  scriptures  to  ships  and  men 
until  he  was  compelled  to  retire  on  account  of  ill-health, 
in  the  early  part  of  1852.  On  his  recovery,  after  a  few 
months,  he  returned  to  the  city,  and  resumed  his  mission- 
ary work,  at  his  own  charges.  It  was  while  he  was  thus 
employed  that  the  New  York  Port  Society  engaged  him 
as  their  financial  agent.  He  entered  at  once  upon  his 
new  duties  and  served  the  society  with  great  fidelity 
until  the  spring  of  1S63.  In  addition  to  the  collecting 
of  funds,  and  the  duties  of  recording  secretary,  he  gave 
efficient  aid  in  church  Vv'ork,  visiting  boarding-houses  and 


REV.    OLA    HELLAND.  211 

ships,  and  inviting  men  to  church.  Twenty-five  years 
of  continued  missionary  effort  among  sailors,  neither 
cooled  the  ardor  of  his  love  nor  impaired  his  Christian 
zeal.  He  still  lives  and  labors  in  the  same  blessed  cause, 
and  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  seems  no  less  active  than 
when  v/e  were  co-workers  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

Rev.  Ola  Hell  and,  the  fourth  in  this  category  of 
helpers,  was  a  Norwegian  sailor,  converted  in  the  old 
Mariners'  church  in  Roosevelt  street,  in  1837.  He  was  in- 
duced to  attend  by  the  invitation  of  our  Brother  Hubbard. 
Immediately  upon  his  conversion,  he  set  to  work  to 
rescue  others  from  the  bondage  of  sin,  by  leading  them 
to  Christ.  Having  displayed  an  aptitude  to  move  the 
hearts  of  men  by  his  earnest  and  eloquent  appeals  in  his 
native  tongue,  and  being  withal  a  very  zealous  laborer, 
he  was  licensed  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to 
preach  the  gospel.  The  Port  Society  engaged  him  in 
the  summer  of  1855,  as  a  missionary  among  the  Scandina- 
vian sailors,  and  from  his  lips  many  of  the  Swedes,  Danes, 
Norwegians  and  Finns  heard  the  gospel — *'  every  man 
in  his  own  language,  wherein  he  was  born."  A  weekly 
prayer-meeting  was  conducted  by  Brother  Helland,  in 
conjunction  with  Charles  M.  Anderson,  among  these 
North  Sea  sailors,  and  very  many  of  them  were  con- 
verted, some  of  whom  returned  to  their  homes  to  tell  their 
friends  and  countrymen  of  the  Saviour  they  had  found  in 
the  United  States. 

We  had  satisfactory  evidence  that  their  efforts  at  win- 
ning souls  were  not  without  good  results  in  their  father- 
land. In  the  first  ten  months  our  Brother  H.  attended 
as  many  religious  meetings  as  there  are  days  in  the  year ; 
induced  over  four  hundred   persons  to  attend   church, 


212  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

prayed  in  private  with  seventy-eight  persons,  of  whom 
sixty  were  hopefully  converted.  In  addition,  he  visited 
the  sick  at  their  homes  and  in  hospitals,  and  vessels 
of  foreign  nations,  supplying  them  with  the  word  of  God 
in  their  own  tongue.  After  a  year  or  two  with  us,  a 
larger  sphere  of  usefulness  opened.  He  was  called  to  the 
West,  to  take  charge  of  a  church  in  the  vicinity  of  Beloit, 
Wisconsin.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  the  East,  and 
was  for  several  years  the  faithful  chaplain  of  the  Seamen's 
Retreat,  Staten  Island,  where  he  smoothed  the  pillow, 
and  comforted  the  heart  of  many  sick  sailors,  and 
pointed  them  all  to  the  Lamb  of  God.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent actively  engaged  in  the  ministry,  among  his  own 
countrymen  in  the  West. 

His  successor  in  this  department  was  JOSEPH  H. 
Gardner,  a  most  noble,  self-denying  and  laborious 
man  of  God.  He  was  a  bachelor.  The  Church  of  Christ 
was  his  only  bride.  For  her  he  toiled  early  and  late. 
To  her  he  gave  his  time,  his  talents,  his  strength  and  his 
prayers.  He  seemed  never  to  weary  in  her  work.  Yet 
he  carried  for  years  a  weight  of  bodily  suffering  that 
would  have  prostrated  many  a  stronger  and  less  persistent 
man.  It  is  not  probable  that  any  one,  in  the  same  time, 
distributed  a  larger  number  of  copies  of  the  sacred 
scriptures  among  sailors,  soldiers,  and  families,  than 
Joseph  H.  Gardner.  He  too  was  a  converted  sailor. 
His  life  until  he  was  forty  years  old  was  spent  in  the 
service  of  sin.  While  on  a  whaling  voyage  he  was  taken 
sick,  and  began  to  read  the  Bible,  but  could  find  no 
peace.  In  his  distress  he  sought  for  other  books.  A 
novel  was  placed  in  his  hands.  This  he  refused,  and  a 
copy  of  *  Baxter's  Call '  was  given  him  by  the  steward  of 


CAPTAIN    ELLIOTT.  213 

the  vessel,  who  "  had  no  use  for  such  a  book."  This 
showed  him  his  own  helplessness,  and  led  him  to  pray. 
While  in  this  state  of  mind  he  came  to  New  York, 
and  attended  a  seamen's  Bible  class,  in  the  Mariners' 
church,  which  was  taught  by  our  Bro.  Wm.  D.  Harris. 
Through  his  instruction,  he  says,  ''  I  was  enabled  to 
rejoice  in  Jesus  Christ  as  my  God  and  my  Saviour."  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  resigned  his  position 
in  the  Port  Society,  and  gave  himself  exclusively  to  the 
distribution  of  the  word  of  God  among  the  soldiers  who 
were  on  their  way  to  the  front.  In  this,  to  him,  delight- 
ful work  of  Bible  distribution,  he  continued  as  long  as  he 
could  walk,  and  then  laid  down  peacefully  to  die.  He 
entered  joyfully  into  his  eternal  rest  on  Sunday,  July  9th, 
1876,  having  passed  the  hmit  of  threescore  and  ten,  the 
last  thirty  years  of  which  were  spent  in  strictly  missionary 
work.  He  has  gone  to  his  reward,  and  has  heard  the 
welcome  plaudit,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant, 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 
The  only  other  I  can  mention  is 

CAPTAIN    SAMUEL    ELLIOTT. 

He  succeeded  our  deceased  brother,  and  was  in  every  way 
adapted  to  the  duties  he  assumed  on  entering  into  the 
service  of  the  Mariners'  church.  It  was  his  meat  and 
his  drink  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  him.  His 
manner  was  genial,  cordial  and  affectionate.  His  whole 
time  and  talents  and  strength  were  given  ''  con  amore," 
to  his  work  He  was  a  wise  counsellor,  a  patient  labor- 
er, a  most  worthy  assistant,  and  a  true  friend.  My 
heart  went  out  to  him  in  a  sincere  affection,  on  our  first 
acouaintance,  and  I  never  had  the  slisjhtest  occasion  eith- 


214  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG    SAILORS. 

er  to  withhold  the  confidence  I  had  reposed  in  him,  or 
in  any  way  to  h'mit  our  fraternal  infercourse.  The  vigor 
and  earnestness  with  which  he  entered  upon  his  labors 
was  continued  with  undiminished  zeal  up  to  the  time 
that  the  Master  was  pleased  to  promote  him  to  the 
higher  duties  and  enjoyments  of  the  upper  sanctuary. 

In  the  first  seven  months  after  his  appointment,  he 
had  religious  conversation  with  over  five  thousand  five 
hundred  seamen,  with  over  one  thousand  two  hundred  of 
w4iom  he  bowed  in  prayer.  He  made  over  one  thousand 
visits  to  sailors'  boarding-houses  ;  attended  four  hundred 
and  eighteen  meetings,  received  one  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty-nine  seamen  in  his  office,  and  distributed 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  copies  of  the  sacred  scriptures 
in  various  languages.  When  I  resigned  the  pastorate,  in 
April,  1863,  I  left  him  still  engaged  in  the  mission  work. 
The  recording  angel  alone  can  estimate  the  extent  of  his 
labors  during  those  seventeen  years  of  consecrated  effort 
and  undying  love  for  the  sailor.  The  secret  of  this  de- 
votion, this  sanctified  energy,  may  be  found  in  the  fact 
that  he  was  himself  a  converted  sailor — one  who  well 
knew  the  privations  and  exposures,  as  well  as  the  moral 
dangers  pertaining  to  a  life  at  sea.  He  was  the  child 
of  Presbyterian  parents  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  was 
born  in  18 10.  When  about  fourteen  years  of  age  he  left 
his  Christian  home  to  go  forth  to  the  perils  of  a  life  at 
sea.  He  told  me  that  during  the  first  ten  years  of  his 
sea  life  he  never  fell  in  with  a  pious  sailor.  His  morals 
at  that  time  were  anything  but  pure,  and  he  was  far 
gone  in  practical  infidelity,  and  sin  ;  but' God,  who  is  rich 
in  mercy,  heard  the  prayers  that  followed  him,  and  an- 
swered them  by  bringing  him  to  a  sense  of  his  lost  con^ 


PRAYER    ON   THE   TOPSAIL   YARD.  21$ 

dition  as  a  sinner.  While  on  a  voyage  to  Matanzas,  he 
was  brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Christ.  He  was  then  about  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
in  the  vigor  of  his  early  manhood,  which  he  consecrated 
unreservedly  to  Jesus  Christ  his  Saviour.  In  relating  to 
me  his  personal  experience,  he  said  : 

' '  I  had  a  job  of  work  over  the  bows,  and  being  particularly 
desirous  of  having  it  well  done,  I  concluded  to  do  it  myself. 
There  was  a  heavy  sea  running,  but  I  had  the  jib  hauled  down, 
and  over  the  bows  I  went.  I  had  worked  some  ten  minutes, 
sawing  asunder  two  thick  ropes,  when  suddenly  I  cast  my  eyes 
down  toward  the  one  on  which  I  had  been  sitting,  and  discover- 
ed that  instead  of  its  being  fast  in-board,  as  I  thought,  it  was 
simply  stopped  up  with  a  rope  yarn.  '  My  God  !'  I  exclaimed,  '  I 
have  been  hanging  by  a  yarn,  that  would  not  hold  an  infant  !  ' 
My  hair  stood  erect  with  fright.  I  jumped  on  deck  and  tried  to 
laugh  away  my  fears,  but  in  vain.  I  had  the  first  watch  out  that 
night,  and  while  walking  the  deck  the  thought  flashed  through 
my  mind, '  If  that  rope  yarn  had  parted,  where  would  you  have 
been  ? '  I  answered  my  own  question  aloud,  by  saying,  '  In  hell  ! 
to  all  intents  and  purposes.'  I  dropped  instantly  on  my  knees 
and  cried  for  mercy.  For  seven  days  my  condition  was  truly  aw- 
ful. The  captain  thought  I  was  crazy.  I  was  praying  night  and 
day,  whenever  I  could  get  an  opportunity.  But  I  could  find  no 
rest.  ]\Iy  old  Bible,  that  had  lain  at  the  bottom  of  my  chest  for 
years,  was  now  drawn  forth,  and  read  with  intense  interest,  but  it 
brought  me  no  peace.  At  length,  almost  despairing  of  help,  and 
considering  my  condition  hopeless,  I  felt  like  giving  up  the 
struggle  altogether.  I  was  sitting  on  the  after-hatch,  strapping  a 
block,  at  the  time  that  purpose  was  suggested.  But  I  resolved, 
before  I  yielded  to  it,  I  would  make  one  more  effort.  I  there- 
fore threw  down  the  block  and  marlin-spike,  and  started  aloft. 
On  reaching  the  main -topsail  yard,  I  laid  out  on  the  weather 
yard-arm,  and  leaning  forward,  poured  out  my  soul  to  God  in  the 


2l6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

most  urgent  entreaties  for  grace  and  help,  saying, '  Help,  now  ! 
Lord,  or  I  perish  !  '  and  God  answered  my  petition.  I  descend- 
ed to  the  deck,  '  a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus  ; '  and  the  happiness 
of  that  moment  has  never  departed  from  me  unto  this  hour. " 

I  may  add,  the  life  of  our  good  brother  was  convincing 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  that  statement ;  for  he  was  a 
most  joyful  Christian.  As  soon  as  he  found  peace,  he 
began  to  labor  for  the  souls  of  his  shipmates.  He  was  a 
man  of  intense  energy,  and  sublimely  conscientious. 
Whatever  he  did,  he  did  it  with  his  might.  By  the  sanc- 
tifying power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  natural  energy  was 
intensified.  The  logic  of  his  life  was  logic  on  fire,  as 
they  will  readily  acknowledge  who  have  heard  his  impas- 
sioned utterances  while  pleading  with  sinners  to  come 
and  surrender  themselves  to  Christ. 

In  one  vessel  in  which  he  served  as  an  officer,  his 
Christian  zeal  offended  the  captain,  who  told  him  that  he 
must  give  up  his  religious  efforts  or  leave  the  ship  ;  and 
he  left,  rather  than  be  unfaithful  to  God,  or  unmindful  of 
the  interests  of  his  fellow- men. 

His  promotion  after  his  conversion  was  rapid.  He 
soon  became  master  of  a  vessel,  and  proved  in  that  rela- 
tion, that  he  could  serve  his  Saviour  faithfully,  and  do 
his  duty  by  the  ship  at  the  same  time.  He  was  a  strict 
disciplinarian,  but  found  no  difficulty  in  governing  his  men 
by  the  law  of  love.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  giving  his 
crew  Saturday  afternoon  to  wash  their  clothes  and  clean 
up,  and  wash  decks,  in  order  that  the  Sabbath  might  be 
given  to  rest,  and  to  the  service  of  God. 

As  an  illustration  of  his  mode  of  government,  and  of 
its  salutary  effect,  I  will  relate  an  incident  which  occurred 
on  board  his  vessel.     He  had  shipped  a  man  in    New 


PATERNAL    DISCIPLINE.  21/ 

Orleans,  before  the  mast,  who  was  a  very  profane  and 
reckless  man,  an  inveterate  blasphemer,  im.patient  of  re- 
straint Learning  his  character,  Capt.  E.  called  him  aft, 
and  gave  him  to  understand  that  swearing  would  not  be 
allowed  "on  board  his  vessel.  The  man  promised  that  he 
v/ould  endeavor  to  abide  by  the  rule  of  the  ship,  and 
conform  to  the  captain's  wishes.  But  he  soon  forgot  his 
promises  and  engaged  in  his  usual  profanity.  For  this  he 
was  kindly  but  firmly  admonished.  He  acknowledged 
that  he  had  promised  to  abstain,  but  on  this  occasion  dis- 
played a  very  insubordinate  spirit.  Shortly  after  this, 
while  aloft,  being  angry  at  the  mate,  he  poured  out  a 
volley  of  curses  on  him.  The  captain  heard  him,  and 
immxcdiately  ordered  him  down.  But  instead  of  threat- 
ening him  with  penalties,  or  giving  way  to  angry  words, 
he  retired  to  his  cabin  quietly,  and  ordered  the  man  to  be 
sent  to  him.  There  he  kindly  expostulated  with  him  on 
the  sinfulness  and  wickedness  of  his  course,  appealed  to 
his  self-respect,  to  his  early  training,  and  the  teaching  of 
his  mother.  The  man — unused  to  such  paternal  disci- 
pline, was  moved  to  tears,  and  expressed  his  sorrow  for  his 
conduct.  The  captain  then  bowed  in  prayer  with  him, 
and  in  his  appeal  to  God,  brought  the  sailor's  mother  so 
vividly  before  him,  that  he  was  convicted  of  his  guilt  be- 
fore God,  and  gave  way  to  tears  of  true  repentance.  The 
result  was  his  conversion,  and  the  comm.encement  of  an 
affectionate  friendship  between  him  and  the  captain. 
They  sailed  together  for  three  or  four  years  after  that,  but 
the  man  was  never  heard  to  swear  again. 

The  desire  of  the  captain  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
led  him  to  seek  more  extensive  means  of  usefulness.  To 
this  end  he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 


2l8  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SEAMEN. 

in  which  he  labored  faithfully  for  many  years.  The 
church,  appreciating  his  gifts  and  graces,  licensed  him 
as  a  local  preacher,  and  in  that  capacity  he  did  a  noble 
work.  He  caught  the  spirit  of  the  Wesleys,  and  whether 
at  sea  or  on  shore,  his  zeal  for  the  Master,  and  his  love 
for  souls,  knew  no  abatement.  Sailors  were  his  peculiar 
care :  and  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  itself,  he 
strove  for  their  salvation,  pleading  with  them  for  God, 
and  pleading  with  God  for  them. 

An  article  which  appeared  in  the  "Friend,''  a  paper 
published  in  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Damon,  some  years  ago,  may  be  cited  in  proof.   It  states: 

"A  shipmaster,  Captain  Samuel  Elliott,  commanding  a  mer- 
chant vessel  lying  in  this  port,  preached  an  excellent  sermon  from 
the  text,  '  Who  is  my  neighbor  ? '  It  is  seldom  we  enjoy  the  priv- 
ilege of  listening  to  a  sermon,  but  whenever  the  opportunity  oc- 
curs, Yve  never  fail  to  improve  it.  The  sermon  to  which  we  now 
refer  was  a  most  timely  effort  Captain  Elliott  being  a  shipmas- 
ter, and  having  been  connected  with  the  New  York  Sailors'  home, 
his  remarks  fell  with  peculiar  weight  upon  the  mind.  We  would 
add,  by  the  way,  that  he  was  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
I  Church.  He  spoke  as  one  practically  acquainted  with  the  subject 
■  of  sailors'  homes,  and  showed  their  importance  so  clearly,  that 
we  have  ever  since  felt  that  the  experiment  should  be  fairly  tried 
in  Honolulu.  He  showed,  too,  most  clearly,  that  all  shipmas- 
ters were  logically  bound  to  promote,  in  ever}^  possible  way,  the 
establishment  and  support  of  such  institutions.  His  final  appeal 
to  his  brother  shipmasters  was  so  truthful  and  touching,  that 
we  have  always  regretted  that  it  was  not  committed  to  writing 
and  published.  In  his  address  to  landsmen,  he  showed,  too, 
most  conclusively,  that  the  sailor,  in  a  scriptural  sense,  is  the 
neighbor  of  ever}-  Christian  man ;  and  furthermore  that  the  lands- 
man should  not  act  the  part  of  the   priest   and  the  Levite,  but 


CAPTAIN    DAMON'S    TESTIMONY.  2ig 

that  of  the  good  Samaritan.  Should  these  Hnes  ever  fall  under 
Captain  Elliott's  notice,  we  desire  to  express  our  sincere  thanks  to 
him  for  that  sermon.  Its  influence  has  been  operating  for  good 
on  the  mind  of  one  at  least,  during  the  last  twelve  months. " 

I  may  add,  the  editorial  referred  to  was  written  in 
January,  1836,  more  than  forty  years  before  the  close  of 
Brother  Elliott's  labors.  His  sermon  has  not  been  lost  on 
that  one  mind,  but  has  some  years  since  effloresced  in- 
to the  sailors'  home  of  the  Pacific  at  Honolulu.  That 
home  is  to-day  in  charge  of  a  sailor  who  was  converted 
and  who  is  now  teaching  a  Bible  class  of  Chinese  youth, 
which  he  has  conducted  for  some  years  past,  and  out  of 
which  has  grown  a  Chinese  church  of  over  thirty  mem- 
bers. That  teacher  and  keeper  of  the  home  became  a 
member  of  my  church  in  November,  1859.  He  subse- 
quently went  to  Ireland,  in  1861,  and  labored  efficiently 
in  revival  scenes,  there  in  the  vicinity  of  Dublin.  Still 
later,  in  his  ramblings,  he  brought  up  in  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  lo!  God  points  out  to  him  his  pecuhar  sphere 
of  operations  among  the  wanderers  from  the  Flowery 
Land.  He  too  speaks  of  the  influence  of  our  good  Bro- 
ther Elliott  in  his  own  religious  experience. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  E.  D.  Murphy,  of  the  Mariners' 
church,  New  York,  after  Brother  Elliott's  death,  dated 
Nov.  25th,  1876,  he  says  of  Captain  ElHott: 

"He  was  a  man  of  God,  in  whose  company  one  could  not  be 
long  without  loving  him.  My  first  recollections  of  him  date 
away  back  to  April,  1859,  having  then  arrived  in  San  Francisco 
in  the  ship  '  Ivanhoe, '  from  New  York,  on  board  of  which, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  a  shipmate,  a  converted  Jew,  I 
was  brought,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  to  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  as 
my  Saviour.     Brother  Elliott  then  occupied  a  position  in  the  old 


220  FIFTY    YEARS    AxMONG    SAILORS. 

Sailors'  Home  of  San  Francisco,  where  I  went  to  board.  One 
Sabbath  morning,  he  invited  me  to  a  class-meeting  in  a  Metho- 
dist church,  with  which  he  was  connected  at  that  time.  It  was 
the  first  one  I  ever  attended  in  my  life.  He  conducted  it,  and 
out  of  a  full  heart  spoke  of  Christ  and  his  rich  salvation.  His  win- 
ning, cheerful  ways  and  words  made  him  attractive  to  one's  heart. 
Perhaps  you  may  not  be  aware  that  years  ago  his  voice  was  heard 
away  off  in  these  lands,  long  before  I  ever  touched  these  shores, 
and  his  message  was  not  forgotten." 

How  delightful  it  is  to  track  the  influence  of  a  good 
man,  and  yet  how  difficult  to  estimate  its  real  importance, 
when  that  good  man  is  a  sailor  in  active  life,  like  our 
Brother  Elliott,  and  carrying  his  religion  with  him  around 
the  globe.  Blessed  thought !  There  is  a  record  of  all 
such  on  high.  I  have  said  already  that  the  ministry  of 
our  brother  for  Christ  in  the  Mariners'  church  began  in 
1859,  and  extended  to  1876,  a  period  of  seventeen  years. 
It  was  my  privilege  to  be  associated  with  him  intimately 
all  those  years,  to  stand  beside  him  in  the  hour  and  article 
of  death,  and  follow  him  to  his  last  resting-place  in  Green- 
wood. It  was  beneath  my  own  roof  and  almost  in  my 
own  arms  that  he  yielded  up  his  ransomed  spirit  to  God 
who  gave  it.  His  last  hours  were  brightened  by  his 
Saviour's  presence.  He  was  cheerful  and  prayerful  to  its 
close.  His  last  conscious  utterance,  in  reply  to  my  ques- 
tion, "  Is  it  well,  my  brother  ?  "  was,  "  It  is  well,  well, 
well  !  "  A  few  hours  of  unconsciousness,  the  result  of 
paralysis,  followed,  and  his  ransomed  spirit  took  its  flight, 
to  enter  into  the  rest  that  remains  to  the  people  of  God. 

Serenely  he  sleeps  on  the  Saviour  s  breast, 

His  race  of  life  is  run  ; 
The  victor's  palm  and  olive  are  his, 

For  the  battle's  strife  is  done. 


WHAT   THE    LIGHTNING    DID.  221 

Angels  rejoiced  as  the  bonds  of  clay 

That  fettered  his  soul  were  riven, 
They  welcomed  him  up  to  the  realms  of  day; 

He  walks   with  them  now,   in  heaven. 

It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  me,  here,  to  give  a  record  of 
many  others  whose  hearty  co-operation  lightened  my  toil 
and  cheered  my  heart.  Among  these,  Captain  James  IT. 
Brownlovv,  Captain  John  Scott,  the  faithful  and  self-sac- 
rificing sexton,  Mr.  Thos.  Halversen,  and  Mr.  Eli  Trott — 
who  has  been  for  many  years  an  untiring  co-laborer  with 
Mr.  Charles  L.  Brace  and  others  in  the  Children's  Aid 
Society — all  converts  of  our  church,  are  entitled  to  ex- 
tended notice  ;  but  space  forbids  any  more  than  the  men- 
tion of  their  names. 

WHAT   THE    LIGHTNING   DID. 

"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform  ; 
He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea 

And  rides  upon  the  storm." — Cowper. 

The  freaks  of  electricity  are  not  always  to  be  account- 
ed for,  on  the  basis  of  recognized  law.  This  is  true, 
whether  we  consider  the  primary  or  the  secondary  results 
of  its  action.  Physically  its  vagaries  are  often  a  contradic- 
tion of  all  our  observations  and  experience.  Yet,  if  we 
recognize  the  Divine  hand  in  second  causes  at  all,  we 
shall  find  no  difficulty  in  acknowledging  that  wdiat  is 
inscrutable  to  us,  is  only  a  manifestation  of  His  wisdom, 
who  '*  worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own 
will."  "  He  maketh  the  winds  his  messengers,  and 
his  ministers  a  flame  of  fire." 


222  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

These  messengers  and  ministers  work  out  his  great 
designs,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  the  moral  as  well 
as  in  the  physical  realm.  It  is  said  that  Luther,  a  man 
second  to  none  in  his  peculiar  sphere,  was  deeply 
impressed  with  the  necessity  of  escaping  the  terrors  of 
the  world  to  come,  by  the  sudden  striking  of  the  lightning 
with  terrific  force,  near  his  feet.  He  was  stunned  by  the 
stroke,  and  in  his  terror  resolved  to  take  the  monastic  vows, 
which  in  his  view  was  the  surest  way  of  pleasing  God  ; 
but  which  resulted  ultimately  in  his  entire  abjuration  of 
Iconic — the  prostration  of  the  scholastic  theology,  and 
the  inauguration  of  the  religious  Reformation  which 
shook  the  world.  If  through  the  operation  of  physical 
forces,  by  suggestion  or  otherwise,  God  accomplishes 
events  of  so  much  importance  as  the  conversion  of  a 
human  sduI,  thereby  originating  a  series  of  events,  which 
are  destined  to  bless  the  world,  why  may  not  the  agent 
be  acknowledged,  when  acting  under  his  divine  direction  ? 
Do  we  derogate  from  the  divine  efficiency,  because  we 
recognize  the  agent  through  which  it  acts  ? 

These  remarks  are  prefatory  to  the  following  interest- 
ing sketch  of  the  conversion  of  Captain  J.  H.  Hawks,  one 
of  the  noblest  of  the  sons  of  the  sea — one  whom  God  was 
pleased  to  arrest  on  the  sea  by  fire  from  heaven,  as  he 
arrested  Saul  of  Tarsus,  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  and  to 
the  same  beneficient  end,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

In  an  autobiographical  letter  to  me,  he  recounts  the 
events  of  his  early  life,  of  which  I  can  give  only  a  con- 
densed summary.  Beginning  life  in  the  busy  world  of 
London,  at  the  age  of  eleven,  possessing  the  rudiments 
only  of  an  education,  he  began  to  work  for  his  own  liv- 
ing.     His  parents  had  set  before  him,  both  by  precept 


rRECOCIOUSLY    PROFANE.  223 

and  example,  the  duty  and  necessity  of  right  conduct ;  but 
exposed  as  he  was,  he  fell  into  temptation,  and  gave  way 
to  corrupting  vices.  When  about  sixteen  he  became 
disgusted  with  life  ashore,  and,  having  obtained  his 
mother's  permission,  entered  a  school-ship,  at  Deptford, 
and  from  her  was  bound  for  four  years  to  a  Liverpool  ship, 
in  the  American  timber  trade,  running  to  St.  John's,  N.  B. 
Here  he  became  an  adept  in  the  use  of  profane  language, 
vicing  with  others  in  the  impiety  and  blasphemy  of 
his  expressions — using  the  sacred  name  of  God  and  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  most  filthy  connections.  Years  thus 
passed  away,  going  from  bad  to  worse,  conscience  mean- 
while accusing  and  excusing,  until,  he  says  : 

"  I  became  worse  than  ever.  I  cursed  bitterly,  at  the  slightest 
provocation  ; — so  that  men,  who  were  themselves  hardened  in  sin, 
told  me  that  they  trembled  to  hear  me.  I  remember,  once,  while 
in  Havana,  I  lay  in  my  berth  meditating.  The  scenes  of  my  rough 
life  from  my  boyhood,  passed  belbrc  me  in  review.  I  was  ap- 
palled at  the  enormity  of  my  guilt,  and  inwardly  exclaimed,  '  O, 
father,  if  you  knew  what  your  son  had  come  to,  you  would  never 
own  him  again  ! ' '' 

This  impression,  however,  soon  wore  off,  and  his  for- 
mer course  was  resumed;  until,  in  1853,  he  visited  Bath, 
Maine,  where  a  devout  Christian  woman  counselled  himj 
against  the  use  of  strong  drink.  She  was  the  first  who 
seemed  really  interested  in  his  moral  and  spiritual  welfare. 
Her  influence  followed  him  for  a  short  time  only.  After 
a  year  he  returned  to  Bath,  and  became  acquainted  with 
a  young  lady  of  religious  character,  who  subsequently 
became  his  wife.  It  was  his  desire  to  avoid  lowering 
himself  in  her  esteem,  and  his  ambition  to  rise  in  his  pro- 
fession, that  led  him  to  abandon  his  propensity  for  taking 


224  FIFTY    YEARS    AMOiNG    SAILORS. 

the  name  of  God  in  vain.  The  first  he  accompHshed  by  a 
compromise.  He  left  ofif  using  the  names  of  the  Deity, 
and  in  the  place  of  them  resolved  to  swear  "  by  thunder 
and  lightning."  The  second  he  attained  to,  by  shipping 
as  second  mate  of  a  brig,  bound  to  Baltimore.  What 
occurred  on  that  voyage  may  be  best  stated  in  his  own 
words : 

"While  on  the  return  passage,  on  the  i8th  of  August,  1855, 
we  were  caught  off  Hatteras,  in  one  of  those  terrific  squalls  which 
are  so  common  and  destructive  in  those  latitudes.  In  the  excite- 
ment of  shortening  sail,  there  was  much  confusion.  The  orders 
came  thick  and  fast. — 'Stand  by  top-gallant  halyards.'  'Clew  up 
top-gallant  sails !'  '  Take  in  the  jib !'  '  Lower  away  the  topsails !' 
'  Haul  up  the  courses  !*  &c.  I  was  irritated  at  the  want  of  cool- 
ness in  the  captain,  and  found  fault  with  everything.  The  reef- 
tackles  were  not  hauled  out  quick  enough  for  me.  I  sprang  to 
the  main  topsail  reef-tackle,  clapoed  on,  over-hand,  and  began  to 
swear  by  thunder  and  lightning.  Just  then — as  if  the  patience - 
of  God  was  exhausted  by  my  folly — a  flash  of  lightning,  more 
terrific  and  blinding  than  any  before  it,  struck  us,  the  thunder 
pealing  in  our  ears,  before  the  glare  of  the  lightning  was  off  our 
eyes.  The  reef  tackle  fall,  being  wet,  served  as  a  conductor  for 
the  electricity,  which  affected  me  so  that  I  fell  to  the  deck  like 
lead,  apparently  lifeless.  I  was  picked  up  by  the  men  and 
borne  into  the  cabin. 

"Strange  to  say,  though  my  physical  frame  was  thoroughly 
paralyzed,  so  that  I  could  not  command  a  muscle,  or  make  a 
sign,  my  mental  powers  were  acute.  I  retained  my  conscious- 
ness perfectly,  and  heard  what  was  said,  but  was  incapable  of 
reply.  As  I  was  being  carried  into  the  cabin,  the  mate,  looking 
down  from  the  poop,  said,  '  Poor  fellow  !  he  is  gone. '  These 
words  suggested  to  my  mind  the  question,  '  Where  !  If  it  had 
pleased  God  to  kill  me,  where  would  my  poor  soul  be  now  ?.'  I 
was  truly  convicted  of  my  sin.       The  arrows  of  the  Almighty 


NEVINS'S    PRACTICAL    THOUGHTS.  22$ 

were  sticking  fast  in  me.  In  a  few  minutes  I  regained  the  com- 
mand of  my  muscles,  and  slowly  returned  to  my  normal  condi- 
tion. iNIy  soul,  however,  was  in  deep  distress.  The  mate,  who 
was  a  professor  of  religion,  noting  my  seriousness,  placed  books 
and  tracts  suited  to  my  condition  in  my  way,  which  I  read. 
These,  however,  only  intensified  my  miser}'  ;  for  they  told  of 
the  holiness  of  the  Law  I  had  violated. 

' '  At  length  we  arrived  in  Boston.  I  was  paid  off,  and  put  up 
at  the  Sailors'  Home  ;  and  having  no  desire  to  see  or  be  seen  by 
any  one,  I  kept  myself  aloof  In  three  days  I  was  shipped 
again,  bound  to  Florida.  Before  sailing  I  asked  for  some 
books  to  read,  which  were  cheerfully  given  to  me.  Among 
them  was,  '  Nevins'  Practical  Thoughts. '  In  reading,  I  became 
deeply  impressed  on  account  of  my  lost  condition  ;  but  how  to 
obtiin  pardon  I  knew  not.  My  soul  was  burdened.  Sin  lay 
heavy  on  me.  The  writer  urged  all  who  had  a  desire  to  find 
reconciliation  with  God,  to  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord.  In 
words  of  affection  he  asks,  *  Whom  do  you  fear.?  Are  you  afraid 
the  world  will  oppose  you }  Are  you  afraid  because  you  are 
such  a  sinner,  and  not  fit  to  come .?  O  then,  come.  It  is  just 
such  as  you  the  Saviour  invites.  Do  you  still  hesitate .?  Are 
you  afraid  to  trust  your  own  heart,  fearing  you  would  be  again 
led  into  sin  .?  O,  trust  in  Christ  !  Believe  that  He  who  died 
to  save  you,  who  has  sent  his  Spirit  to  show  you  your  need  of 
himself,  will  not  leave  you  now.  Come — leaning  on  Him,  and 
all  wdl  be  well'  It  was  here  my  soul  was  released  from  its 
burden.  I  felt  like  one  who  had  been  weighed  down  by  a 
hea\y  load,  but  had  been  relieved,  and  was  at  ease.  I  imme- 
diately gave  glory  to  God  ;  and  from  that  moment  felt  willing 
to  trust  in  Jesus,  and  in  the  merits  of  his  blood  for  acceptance 
with  God. 

On  my  arrival  in  Boston,  in  November,  1855,  I  was  admitted 

to  membership  in  the  INIariners'   church,    on  profession   of  my 

faith.      From    that   time    my   whole   life   was   changed.      New 

objects  presented  themselves  to  me,  and  I  realized  the  necessity 

15 


226  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

of  trusting  in  Christ,  and  living  for  him.  Some  three  months 
afterwards,  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  tell  my  experience,  and  to  exhort 
others  to  seek  the  light ;  and  God  led  me  by  a  way  I  knew  not, 
until  I  arrived  in  New  York,  in  January,  1856.'' 

It  was  here  he  took  up  the  laboring  oar,  and  began  to 
work  for  Christ,  and  for  the  salvation  of  his  shipmates. 
In  a  letter  to  me  dated  February  22nd,    1856,  he  says  : 

' '  You  are  aware  that  it  was  the  sermon  you  preached  on  the 
first  Sabbath  of  this  New  Year,  together  with  the  exhortations  in 
the  prayer-meeting  in  the  afternoon,  which  first  induced  me  to 
say  a  word  for  my  blessed  Saviour  in  a  public  meeting.  Till 
then  I  thought  it  was  not  required  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  church  to  speak  on  such  occasions  ;  but  glory  be  to  God,  I 
can  now  realize  the  necessity  of  every  one  improving  the  talent 
committed  to  him.  The  few  weeks  I  have  been  blessed  with 
the  privilege  of  attending  your  meetings,  appear  like  so  many 
years  added  to  my  experience.  I  feel  so  much  stronger  in  faith, 
as  well  as  practice,  every  time  I  make  known  my  Saviour's  love  to 
so  great  a  sinner  as  I  have  been.  I  am  now  going  forth  in  the 
world,  far  away  from  those,  who,  by  God's  overruling  Provi- 
dence, have  been  the  means  of  teaching  me  how  to  live  most  for 
Christ;  but  I  shall  not  be  alone.  My  Father  has  promised 
never  to  leave  or  forsake  me,  and  my  prayer  will  be  that  all  my 
strength  may  come  from   him. 

' '  The  books  I  take  w^ith  me,  are  to  be  used  in  Divine  worship 
on  board.  In  this  matter  I  feel  my  own  weakness  ;  but  with  the 
assurance  that  you  will  bear  me  up  at  the  throne  of  grace,  I  am 
confident  that  I  shall  receive  strength  and  wisdom  from  on  high, 
to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  some  poor  soul.  I  feel  that  I  need 
the  prayers  of  God's  people,  in  order  to  accomplish  the  work  I 
have  laid  out." 

How  fearlessly  that  work  was  performed,  how  zeal- 
ously it  was  continued,  and  with  what  blessed  result,  the 


THE    LAST   VOYAGE.  22/ 

correspondence — extracts  from  which  are  here  given — 
will  in  some  measure  show. 

Two  days  after  reaching  Santa  Cruz,  Teneriffe,  he 
whites  under  date  of  March  28th,  1856,  asking  us  to  thank 
God  for  deliverance  from  peril  during  the  voyage ;  and 
describes  his  efforts  to  do  good,  in  the  distribution  of 
tracts,  Bibles  and  Testaments  in  Spanish  among  the  na- 
tive boatmen,  all  of  which  were  readily  received,  with 
thanks.  He  also  relates  an  incident  which  illustrates  the 
Scripture  recorded  in  Prov.  xxix.  i.  :  ^'  He  that  is  often  re- 
proved, and  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  be  suddenly  de- 
stroyed, and  that  without  remedy."     It  is  as  follows  : 

"  On  the  second  day  out,  while  running  before  a  northwester, 
the  wind  shifted  suddenly  to  N.  K,  blowing  so  hard  that  we  were 
compelled  to  let  go  everjthing,  to  save  our  spnrs  Our  topsail 
was  torn  into  ribbons  during  the  squall,  and  we  were  t\velve  days 
without  one  to  set  After  blowing  eight  hours  with  unabated  fury, 
it  suddenly  chopped  round  to  W.  S.  W. ,  blowinga  perfect  gale, 
which  increased  with  such  rapidity  and  force  that  we  could  no 
longer  run  before  it.  Our  little  craft  did  nobly,  but  the  sea, 
which  had  risen  with  the  ^\ind,  rolling  up  on  either  side  and 
leaping  in-board,  threatened  to  swamp  her.  We  therefore  de- 
termined to  heave  her  to,  under  the  mainsail.  WTiile  in  the  act 
of  getting  her  head  to  the  wind,  she  shipped  a  heavy  sea,  which 
started  the  deck  load  and  washed  one  of  our  men  overboard.  No 
human  power  could  have  saved  him. 

"You  will  remember  that  while  in  New  York,  I  shipped  the 
second  mate  and  one  of  the  men  of  the  ship  '  Naples, '  the  vessel 
which  picked  up  the  survivors  of  the  *St  Denis,'  and  brought 
them  to  New  York.  Knowing  this  fact,  I  had  used  that  calamity, 
to  awaken  in  these  men  a  sense  of  their  peril,  and  induce 
them  to  seek  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  They  only  responded 
with  promises  to  do  better  next  voyage.     The  reproof  was  lost  on 


228  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

them  both.  The  man,  as  I  have  said,  was  washed  overboard,  so 
that  '  next  voyage  '  never  came  to  him.  His  death  was  '  sudden 
and  without  remedy.'  The  scripture  is  remarkably  illustrated  in 
this  case,  hence  I  enter  into  particulars.  When  he  fell  overboard, 
it  was  about  5  p.  m.  The  only  canvas  we  had  on  her  was  a  fore- 
topmast  stay-sail.  Knowing  that  she  could  not  come  to  the 
wind  under  that  sail  alone,  I  had  gone  aft  to  take  the  gasket  off 
the  mainsail,  and  while  there  hauled  in  a  strong  fishing-line 
which  we  habitually  kept  towing  astern,  in  case  any  one  should 
fall  overboard.  His  destruction  was  therefore  '  without  remedy. ' 
It  was  nearly  dark.  The  sea  was  such  that  no  boat  could  live 
in  it.  The  line  that  might  have  saved  him  had  been  hauled  in. 
She  was  under  a  topmast  stay-sail  only,  and  before  we  could  get 
her  head  to  the  wind,  the  man  was  miles  astern.  God  grant 
that  we  who  witnessed  his  death,  may  profit  by  the  warning.  I 
have  conversed  frequently  since  with  the  second  mate,  but  I  am 
soriy^  to  say  that  the  impression  is  wearing  off.  He  is  as  cold  as 
ever.  He  is  resting  on  the  fact  of  his  having  been  confirmed,  in 
his  youth,  as  constituting  him  a  Christian  and  affording  him  a 
sufficient  basis  for  hope. " 

In  July,  when  writing  from  Havana,  he  expresses  his 
thanks  to  God  for  sanctified  affliction,  having  experi- 
enced his  love  in  a  remarkable  manner  in  a  twelve  days' 
sickness,  during  which  he  was  confined  to  his  bed. 

The  second  mate  of  the  "  Naples  "  was  still  with  him, 
and  still  the  object  of  his  solicitude.  This  too  was  the 
"  next  voyage  "  on  which  he  had  promised  to  reform. 
But,  alas  !  the  reformation  came  not,  although  death 
did.      In  his  narrative,  he  says  : 

' '  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  to  you  the  circumstances  of  his 
last  hours  on  earth,  that  you  may  use  them  to  warn  others  of  the 
folly  of  putting  off  the  care  for  their  souls'  salvation  until  it  is  too 
late.  The  man  we  lost  on  the  voyage  before,  was  waiting  for  the 
next  voyage.    His  next  voyage  was  to  Eternity.    This  second  mate 


CRY   OF    DESPAIR.  229 

was  promising  himself,  that  he  would  go  home  and  see  his  friends, 
and  then  reform.  But  he  will  never  again  look  upon  those 
who  loved  him  in  life,  and  who  are  thousands  of  miles  away. 
He  had  no  kind  hand  to  wipe  the  death-damp  from  his  brow. 
He  has  gone  to  account  to  God  for  warnings  slighted,  oppor- 
tunities neglected,  and  invitations  scorned.  He  had  a  foretaste 
of  the  punishment  reserved  for  all  who  neglect  their  souls — even 
before  he  died.  He  had  lost  all  hope,  and  had  '  a  certain  fear- 
ful looking  for  of  judgment  to  come.'  The  day  before  he  died, 
though  laying  some  distance  from  him,  two  stone  walls  separat- 
ing us,  I  heard  distinctly  his  cry  of  despair.  All  his  cry  was,  '  O, 
I  shall  die  !  I  shall  die  !  what  will  become  of  me  V  I  was  near 
him,  but  too  weak  to  go  to  him,  and  point  him,  as  I  had  done 
before,  to  the  Saviour  whom  he  had  so  often  despised.  He  died 
therefore  in  his  sins.  No  one  was  nigh  to  direct  his  soul,  nor 
point  him  to  the  blood  he  had  trampled  under  his  feet.  His 
death,  too,  was  ' sudden  and  without  remedy.'" 

He  relates  the  case  of  still  one  other  seaman,  in  the 
same  letter,  who  boarded  in  the  house  with  the  survivors 
of  the  St.   Denis. 

'  •  He  had  seen  his  shipmates  snatched  away  from  his  side, 
heard  all  the  harrowing  details  of  the  loss  of  that  fatal  ship,  and 
still  remained  hardened  up  to  the  last  moment.  He  Vv'as  taken 
sick.  I  had  a  few  moments  in  private  with  him  before  he  was 
carried  to  the  hospital,  and  urged  him  to  cast  his  soul  on  Christ. 
I  called  to  his  mind  the  many  slights  he  had  cast  upon  God, 
an  J  ii\d  him  the  fearful  consequences  of  sin  unrepented  of,  and 
uncleansed  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  He  appeared  affected,  and 
promised  to  seek  the  Saviour  he  had  slighted  so  long.  1  saw 
him  once  after  that.  He  gave  no  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart. 
He  lingered  on  for  a  week,  and  he  too  was  called  away.  I  tell 
you  these  things  because  it  eases  my  mind  to  talk  with  one  who 
can  sympathise  with  me.  I  have  not  met  one  since  we  left,  who 
could  converse  with  me  on  the  love  of  Christ  for  poor  sinners. " 


230  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

The  correspondence  of  this  dear  brother  was  continu- 
ed from  voyage  to  voyage,  narrating  with  great  faithful- 
ness the  incidents  of  his  spiritual  Hfe,  his  temptations,  his 
afflictions,  his  enjoyments,  his  sorrows,  his  efforts  for 
Christ,  and  his  partial  successes,  as  weh  as  his  real  con- 
quest of  souls.  I  marked  with  great  pleasure  his  gradual 
but  permanent  growth  in  grace,  his  advance  socially,  his 
marriage,  and  domestic  felicity ;  the  development  of  his 
affection  for  his  wife  and  children,  his  progress  from  the 
position  of  second  mate  to  that  of  master,  his  faithfulness 
to  the  souls  under  his  charge  and  his  care  for  their  bodily 
comfort  and  safety  through  all  the  years  from  February, 
1856,  to  the  spring  of  1862,  at  which  time  he  resolved 
to  abandon  the  sea  entirely,  intending  to  obtain  employ- 
ment on  shore,  in  order  that  he  might  not  be  separated 
from  the  loved  ones  in  his  Eastern  home. 

During  all  the  changes  of  these  years  he  scrupulously 
commemorated  and  prayerfully  observed  the  anniversaries 
of  his  spiritual  union  with  Christ  and  his  church,  which, 
in  his  own  words,  called  forth  all  his  gratitude  to  God  for 
the  gift  to  him  of  an  all-sufficient  Saviour.  He  expresses 
in  one  of  his  communications  a  yearning  for  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  day  "on  which  God  visited  me  with  his  light- 
ning, and  showed  mc  the  folly  of  leaning  on  self." 

He  was  never  happier  than  when  he  had  evidence  of 
the  safety  of  the  souls  committed  to  his  care.  Hearts 
which  he  failed  to  move,  he  would  follow  with  continued 
prayer,  and  lovingly  commend  them  to  the  servants  of 
God,  among  whom  he  expected  their  lot  to  fall. 

Gratitude  for  favors  conferred  was  one  of  his  marked 
characteristics.  This  extended  to  God  first,  and  then  to 
the  human  agencies   by   which  he  was  affected.      In  a 


WORSHIP    AT   SEA.  23 1 

letter   to  me,   referring  to   a   painful    event  in    his  ex- 
perience, he  said: 

' '  Had  I  never  known  you,  I  should  probably  have  been 
mourning  for  the  love  of  Christ,  which  in  a  moment  of  passion  I 
had  forfeited  by  my  own  folly.  You  were  the  good  Samaritan 
who  dressed  my  wounds  and  led  me  to  the    Great  Physician  of 

souls. " 

In  the  intervals  of  his  voyages,  when  for  a  fev/  weeks 
he  remained  on  shore,  he  was  always  found  earnestly  en- 
gaged in  establishing  prayer-meetings  and  Sabbath- 
schools,  where  they  existed  not,  and  in  fanning  the  em- 
bers of  Christian  zeal  into  a  flame,  wherever  he  found 
them  in  an  expiring  condition.  Another  feature  of  this 
good  brother's  character  was  his  deep  and  abiding  sense 
of  his  own  unworthincss.      He  says  : 

"  God  saw  fit  in  his  mercy  to  'pluck  me  as  a  brand  from  the 
burning.'  I  am  lost  in  amazement  in  looking  at  my  past  life, 
to  think  how  I  could  sink  so  low,  and  then  be  reclaimed.  But 
when  I  look  away  from  myself  to  my  Saviour,  who  is  able  to  save 
to  the  uttermost,  1  no  longer  wonder  that  '  He  who  spared  not 
his  own  Son,  but  gave  him  up  for  us  all,  should  with  him  freely 
give  us  all  things. '  " 

In  September,  1858,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
barque  "  Flight,"  of  New  York.  In  a  letter  to  me  an- 
nouncing the  fact,  he  says  : 

"  I  trust  that  I  have  duly  acknowledged  the  hand  from  which 
I  have  received  this  trust.  I  propose  therefore  to  show  my  grati- 
tude to  him  by  my  devotion  to  his  cause,  to  fulfil  my  vows, 
many  times  made  to  God,  to  work  in  his  vineyard  as  opportu- 
nity offered.     The  time  has  now  come.     I  have  no  one  to  cramp 


232  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

my  influence.      I  feel  my  own  weakness,  however  :  yet  I  go  forth 
alone,  trusting  to  that  God  who  has  kept  me  hitherto." 

"  There  are  many  praying  hearts  interested  in  my  welfare,  but 
I  especially  entreat  you,  my  brother,  and  your  congregation,  to 
hold  me  up  in  the  arms  of  your  faith  and  love.  I  feel  that  I 
owe  my  advancement  in  the  Christian  life,  under  God,  to  your 
influence.  I  have  often  blessed  God  for  guiding  me  where  you 
were  stationed.  Since  then  I  have  enjoyed  many  precious  com- 
munications from  you  ;  and  I  thank  my  God,  I  may  address 
you  as  a  brother  indeed. " 

This  vessel  became  to  him  a  sanctuary,  and  was  conse- 
crated by  prayer.  Three  times  a  week  his  men  were  called 
to  prayers.  No  cursing  was  heard,  no  improper  usage 
allowed.  She  made  quick  passages,  and  good  business 
for  her  owners.  The  crew  saw  that  it  was  possible  to 
work  a  vessel  without  brutality,  and  the  ofiEiccrs,  that 
mild  treatment  was  the  best.  Again  he  wrote  me  from 
Charleston,  S.  C,  under  date  of  November  30th,  1859: 

"  On  leaving  New  York,  I  felt  under  a  weight  of  responsibility 
to  God  and  to  my  fellow-men.  With  that  feeling  stronger  in 
me  than  ever  I  felt  it  before,  I  began  to  work  for  the  Lord  in 
dead  earnest.  After  crossing  the  bar,  I  called  my  crew  aft,  and 
told  them  that  as  the  Providence  of  God  had  thrown  us  together, 
it  was  our  duty  to  seek  each  other's  good.  I  therefore  laid 
down  my  own  plan.  I  would  give  them  watch  and  watch,  and 
allow  them  Saturday  afternoon  to  wash  and  mend  their  clothes,  a 
plan  I  never  had  pursued  before.  I  proposed  also  to  have 
family  worship  every  evening,  and  a  prayer-meeting  Tuesdays, 
Thursdays  and  on  the  Sabbath.  All  agreed  to  this  arrangement, 
with  a  wonderful  unanimity.  We  commenced  that  evening, 
commending  ourselves  to  God,  and  imploring  the  aid  of  the 
divine  Spirit  in  all  our  exercises  ;  and  truly  God  has  been  with 


PRAYERS    IN    THE    FORECASTLE.  233 

US.  Before  we  had  been  out  a  week,  there  was  such  a  deep  in- 
terest felt  by  all  on  board,  that  I  proposed  a  prayer-meeting 
every  night.  The  result  was  that  though  we  had  been  but  seven 
days  on  the  passage,  we  came  in  with  one  soul  rejoicing  in  the 
pardon  of  his  sins,  and  two  deeply  convicted,  and  earnestly  in- 
quiring what  they  must  do  to  be  saved  ?     I  have  reason  to  praise 

God  for  sending  Brother  E with  me.      His   whole  soul   is 

bound  up  in  the  conversion  of  our  men. 

"On  reaching  this  place,  we  found  that  Rev.  Mr.  Yates  was 
absent ;  and  as  a  consequence  there  was  but  one  meeting  a  week 
in  the  Bethel.  This  was  not  enough  for  my  crew.  I  thought 
therefore  it  would  be  well  to  establish  meetings  on  board  our  own 
barque,  and  invite  the  officers  and  crews  of  other  vessels  to  join 
us.  While  I  write,  the  Bethel  flag  waves  over  my  head.  Like 
the  Star  which  guided  the  wise  men  of  the  East,  this  blue  flag 
will  lead  where  Christ  may  be  found.  I  cannot  describe  my 
feelings.  I  am  unworthy  of  the  honor  of  holding  these  meetings ; 
but  the  love  of  Christ  constrains  me,  and  I  look  to  him  for  grace 
to  direct,  as  I  have  only  the  glory  of  his  name  in  view.  I  feel 
that  he  will  not  leave  me  alone.  O  brother,  pray  for  us ;  I  want 
to  have  both  my  mates  converted.  What  God  has  begun  he 
will  finish.      Hoping  soon  to  see  you,  I  am  yours  in  Christ. 

-J.   H.  H." 

This  narrative  would  scarcely  be  complete  without  the 
following  testimony  from  one  of  the  men  who  sailed  with 
our  brother  before  the  mast ;  who,  having  been  converted 
at  ?ea,  through  his  influence,  writes  from  Charleston, 
S.  C,  under  date  of  Nov.  30th,  1859  : 

"  Mr.  Jones  :  Bear  Sir — I  write  to  tell  you  that  another  one 
has  been  added  to  the  flock  of  the  Good  Shepherd  since  the 
barque  '  Flight '  sailed.  1  shall  long  remember  this  vessel, 
and  her  good  captain,  J.  H.  Hawks. 

"When  we  left  New  York,  I  felt  as  if  I  must  yield  to  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who  had  been  drawing  me  gently  toward  himself  for 


234  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

some  days.  As  soon  as  we  got  clear  of  the  land,  the  captain 
proposed  prayer-meetings  in  the  cabin.  We  also  began  meetings 
among  ourselves  in  the  forecastle  ;  and  it  was  out  at  sea,  at  one 
of  those  services,  that  I  was  forced  by  divine  grace  to  surrender 
myself  to  him  who  revealed  to  me  my  own  sad  condition.  The 
knowledge  of  my  lost  estate,  brought  me  to  my  knees,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Cross.  There  I  plead  for  mercy,  and  I  thank  God 
that  I  found  it.  Praise  to  his  holy  name  !  V/hile  we  have  been 
in  port,  here,  we  have  had  nightly  meetings  on  board,  which 
have  been  well  attended  by  the  officers  and  crews  of  other  vessel. 
Our  good  captain  conducts  the  services.  The  Bethel  flag  floats 
at  the  main,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  ship  in  port  that  does  not 
seem  to  take  an  interest.  O,  if  all  the  captains  would  only 
follow  his  example,  what  a  difference  there  would  be  among  the 
men  of  the  sea  !  1  thank  you  too,  sir,  for  the  good  advice  you 
gave  me,  and  I  thank  all  those  who  have  prayed  for  me.  I  ask 
a  continued  interest  in  your  supplications.  I  desire  to  be 
among  the  foremost  in  the  good  fight,  and  to  stand  true  to  the 
last.     Faithfully  your  servant,  Charles  Vanhousten.  " 

The  evidence  of  Captain  Hawks'  faithfulness  is  seen  in 
the  fact  that  he  retained  command  of  the'FHght'  for 
three  years.  In  the  winter  of  1861,  he  determined 
to  remain  permanently  ashore.  The  owners  were  un- 
willing to  part  with  him,  but  he  purposed  to  retire  for 
good.  His  last  letter  to  me  was  dated  at  Bath,  Maine, 
December  31st,  1861.  He  was  then  in  the  enjoyment 
of  such  happiness  as  he  had  long  been  deprived  of.  He 
writes  as  follows : 

"Rev.  C.  J.  Jones  and  Lady:  Esteemed  Friends — Once  more 
I  am  at  home.  While  I  write,  wife  and  little  ones  are  by  my 
side.  I  can  truly  say,  the  Lord  has  been  good  to  me.  As  the 
year  draws  to  a  close,  I  review  with  gratitude  the  many  blessings 
I   have  enjoyed.     Yet  how  have   I   murmured  at  the  Providence 


THE    MISSING   BARK.  235 

which  kept  me  away  from  the  loved  ones !  By  my  fretfulness  and 
impatience  I  brought  unhappiness  to  my  own  heart,  and  sinned 
against  Him  who  was  constantly  caring  for  me,  and  ordering  all 
things  for  my  good.  How  deeply  I  must  have  grieved  Him  ! 
It  is  of  his  mercy  that  1  am  not  consumed,  yet  has  he  blessed 
me,  and  this  New  Year's  eve  finds  me  in  the  enjoyment  of  such 
happiness  as  I  have  not  felt  since  my  first  espousals  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  My  heart  is  full  of  joy — ^joy  subdued,  however,  by  a 
sense  of  my  own  un worthiness,  and  the  need  of  continued 
strength  from  him  to  sustain  me. 

' '  I  am  happy  to  say  that  my  family  is  quite  well.  We  have 
a  pretty  group  :  the  little  one  grows  very  fast  and  promises  to  be 
a  handsome  girl." 

While  luxuriating  in  this  delightful  condition  of  tilings, 
and  shortly  after  this  letter  was  written,  these  dea/  ones 
were  separated  forever.  The  barque  '  Flight'  had  been 
refitted,  and  had  taken  in  a  cargo  of  petroleum  lov  Liv- 
erpool, but  for  some  reason  was  without  a  captain.  The 
owner.  Captain  Thomas  Dunham,  therefore,  wrote  to 
Captain  Hawks,  urging  him  to  come  to  New  York  and 
take  charge  of  her,  for  this  voyage  only,  to  oblige  him  in 
the  emergency.  This  appeal  to  his  benevolent  nature 
prevailed ;  and  notwithstanding  his  purpose  and  promise 
not  to  leave  his  wife  and  children  again,  he  consented, 
came  on  to  New  York,  and  at  our  own  table,  where  he 
was  always  welcome,  and  at  home,  he  told  us  the  reason 
of  his  sudden  change  of  purpose.  In  a  few  days  after  this, 
the  *  Flight '  sailed  with  her  cargo,  and  living  freight,  to 
return  no  more.  Subsequent  inquiries  from  time  to  time 
failed  to  throw  any  light  on  either  her  history  or  her  fate. 
Whether  she  went  down  at  sea  by  collision,  or  was  struck 
by  lightning,  or  blown   into   ten   thousand   atoms  by  an 


2^6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

explosion  of  her  volatile  cargo,  we  shall  in  all  probability 
never  know  till  the  sea  gives  up  the  myriad  secrets  which 
are  buried  in  her  mysterious  depths. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

SIGNS    OF   THE   TIMES — CHILIAN    CONVERT. 

Signs  of  the  times — Precious  revival — Noon  prayer-mee:ing — On  the  tidal 
wave — Visit  men-of-war— Benevolent  operations — Education  not  lost- 
Labor  excessive — Edit  "  Sea-bird  '' — New  boarding-house — Conversions 
at  sea— A  word  in  season — Blessed  harvest-time — Summary  of  labors  — 
"A  littJe  child  shall  lead  them" — Do  you  love  God? — Wrestluig  in 
prayer — Happy  change — Received  into  the  church — Lost  at  sea— The 
C/hilian  convert — Voyage  to  the  United  States— The  priest's  admoni- 
tion— Virgin  and  saints  abandoned — Causes  of  the  decision — Unites  with 
the  Mariners'  church — Christian  usefulness — Return  to  Chili — Bible  col- 
portage — Efforts  for  souls — Death-bed  scenes — Happy  release — An  Irish 
sailor  boy — Honorary  titles — Reads  twenty-three  languages — Tells  his 
own  story. 

In  many  respects  1857  was  a  very  remarkable  year. 
At  home,  the  brutal  and  bloody  scenes  enacted  in  Kansas, 
under  the  presiding  genius  of  Calhoun,  and  preceding  her 
admission  into  the  sisterhood  of  States,  kept  the  whole 
country  in  commotion.  In  Nicaragua  the  filibustering 
expedition  of  Walker,  until  his  arrest  by  Captain  Paul- 
ding, of  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Saratoga,  involved  that 
country  in  continual  agitation.  This,  together  with  the 
iniquitous  decision  of  Chief-Justice  Taney,  in  the  Dred 
Scott  case,  that ''  the  negro,  being  far  inferior  to  the  white 
race,  had  no  rights  which  the  white  man  was  bound  to 


I 


PRECIOUS    REVIVAL.  237 

respect,"  made  America  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  the  old 
world.  Abroad,  the  Sepoy  rebellion  in  India,  the  horrible 
massacre  of  missionaries  at  Delhi, Lucknow  and  Cawnporc, 
and  the  novel  m.ode  of  executing  rebels  by  blowing  them 
into  pieces  from  the  mouths  of  cannon,  had  much  to  do, 
in  the  eyes  of  the 'world,  toward  lowering  the  estimate 
placed  on  British  morality  and  British  rule. 

But  that  one  feature  which  in  our  own  land  dwarfed  all 
others  in  point  of  interest  and  importance,  was  the  pre- 
cious revival  of  religion,  which  seemed  to  spring,  in  a  cer- 
tain sense,  out  of  the  great  financial  crisis  in  which — fol- 
lowing the  failure  of  the  Ohio  Life  and  Trust  Company  of 
NewYork,  and  the  alarming  Schuyler  frauds,  so  many  long 
established  business  firms  went  down  like  a  house  of  cards. 
The  crisis  did  not  produce  the  revival,  it  is  true  ;  but  in 
the  Providence  of  God,  it  seemed  to  have  been  the  occasion 
of  it.  For,  as  it  unsettled  values,  overturned  financial 
schemes,  and  brought  general  ruin  into  the  mercantile 
world,  business  men,  finding  the  ground  giving  way 
under  their  feet,  were  led,  like  the  despairing  seamen,  on 
a  foundering  craft  in  mid-ocean,  to  look  for  some  means 
of  safety  outside  of  themselves.  They  were  driven,  there- 
fore, as  sailors  by  stress  of  weather,  to  seek  a  safe  anchor- 
age in  the  Word  and  promises  of  God.  Out  of  this  con- 
dition of  things,  and  as  an  evidence  of  it,  grew  the  ''  Bus- 
iness Men's  noon-day  prayer-meeting  "  of  Fulton  street. 
Many  similar  meetings,  in  different  cities,  were  born  of 
the  exigencies  of  the  times.  These  continue  to  live,  and 
to  give  daily  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  words  of  scrip- 
ture :  "  When  thy  judgments,  O  Lord,  are  in  the  earth, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  learn  righteousness." 
It  was  the  blessed  privilege  of  the  Mariners'  church  to 


238  'FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

be  riding  the  very  crest  of  that  tidal  wave,  as  it  rolled  on 
ov^er  tlie  city,  and  over  the  land.  And  her  children  were 
among  the  very  first  to  carry  its  benign  influence  abroad 
on  the  sea,  and  into  other  lands.  This  blessed  year  was 
not  only  full  of  evidences  of  the  Divine  presence  among 
us,  but  was  also  pregnant  with  germs  of  the  future  har- 
vest. As  the  old  year  closed,  so  the  new  began.  Our 
church  was  filled  with  waiting  souls,  densely  packed. 
Floors  and  galleries,  aisles  and  pulpit  platform,  every 
inch  of  space  was  occupied.  Fully  one-fourth  of  the 
people,  often,  were  in  tears.  Tiie  increase  had  been 
steady,  and  the  devotion  hearty.  God's  dear  children 
among  us,  alive  to  their  own  eternal  interests,  and  zeal- 
ous for  his  glory,  were  eager  to  have  others  rejoice  with 
them  in  their  privileges,  and  share  with  them  in  the 
labors  and  rewards  of  the  Christian  life.  Self-denying 
energies  were  put  forth  on  every  hand,  to  secure  the  sal- 
vation of  souls.  Who  could  do  the  most  and  best,  seemed 
to  be  the  dominant  rule. 

At  the  close  of  1856,  special  efforts  were  put  forth 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  United  States  Navy. 
I  visited  the  U.  S.  ships  North  Carolina,  Sabine, 
Minnesota,  Decatur,  Mississippi,  and  other  vessels 
of  war,  as  opportunity  offered  ;  religious  reading  matter 
was  scattered  liberally  among  the  men,  followed  by  prayer 
and  accompanied  by  earnest  exhortation  to  seek  their 
salvation.  With  the  commencement  of  the  year,  there- 
fore, demands  for  pastoral  labor  had  largely  increased, 
and  plans  were  devised  to  meet  them.  I  gave  myself  to 
the  study  of  the  Spanish,  that  I  might  be  enabled  to 
converse   and   correspond  with   sailors  in  that  language, 


BENEVOLENT    OPERATIONS.  239 

as  I  already  did  with  the  parents  and  friends  of  seamen 
in  French. 

A  daily  morning  prayer-meeting  was  commenced  in 
the  church  in  January.  Our  meetings  during  this  year 
were  held  every  day  in  the  week,  morning,  noon  and 
night,  so  that  we  had  twenty-one  services  in  the  church 
building  every  week,  exclusive  of  Dorcas  and  sewing 
societies,  relief  committees  for  the  poor,  and  other  benev- 
olent operations.  I  administered  on  the  estates  of  dead 
sailors,  and  sent  the  proceeds  to  their  relations  ;  became 
guardian  for  orphan  children,  and  provided  for  the  educa- 
tion of  seamen  and  others,  who  desired  to  study  for  the 
ministry.  This  was  an  occasional  matter,  it  is  true,  yet 
the  occasion  was  not  infrequent.  As  a  result  of  my  min- 
istry, under  God,  twenty-one  persons  entered  upon  a 
course  of  study  to  that  end,  eleven  of  whom  were  sailors. 
Nine  of  these  were  brought  to  Christ  under  my  ministry. 
Of  the  twenty-one,  eight  only  reached  the  goal,  for  the 
reason  that  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  deflected 
some  from  their  course.  Six  are  now  in  the  ministry. 
Four  are  Presbyterians,  one  a  Congregationalist  and  one 
a  Baptist,  all  actively  and  earnestly  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel at  this  date,  January,  1884.  To  some  of  these  I  may 
refer  hereafter.  One  died  after  reaching  the  office  of 
deacon  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  Another,  after  several 
years  in  the  ministry,  died  recenth^,  while  professor  of 
Greek  in  Antioch  College. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the  education  of  those  who 
failed  to  reach  the  ministry,  was  by  any  means  lost ;  for 
those  who  are  still  living,  occupy  positions  of  usefulness 
and  trust,  and  are  maintaining  their  Christian  integrity 
to-day.      One  is  a  lawyer  and   professor    of   languages. 


240  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

One  is  the  captain  of  a  steamship,  doing  his  Master's  work 
in  Japan ;  one  is  a  lawyer  and  financier  in  Washington  ; 
one  is  a  merchant,  doing  yeoman's  service  in  the  cause  of 
education  in  New  Caledonia ;  another  is  in  Manitoba, 
engaged  in  the  instruction  of  youth  for  more  than  twenty 
years. 

The  financial  depression  of  this  year  bore  heavily  on 
those  whose  protectors  were  absent,  and  made  large  de- 
mands on  both  hand  and  heart.  During  the  fall  and  win- 
ter months  my  labors  were  more  than  usually  excessive. 
I  was  called  upon  to  care  for  the  wives  and  children  and 
widowed  mothers  of  seamen,  and  assisted  by  the  benev- 
olence of  others,  in  many  instances,  paid  their  rent,  buried 
their  dead,  and  provided  food  and  fuel  for  them  in  their 
destitution.  I  sent  sick  sailors  to  their  homes,  procured 
permits  for  others  to  enter  hospitals,  and  the  "  Snug  Har- 
bor;" supplied  shipwrecked  men  with  clothing;  became 
responsible  for  their  board  until  they  could  ship,  and 
frequently  paid  it  for  them.  Also  took  measures  for  the 
protection  of  sailors  who  were  brutally  treated  and  per- 
secuted on  board  their  ships,  visited  the  Tombs  and  jails 
where  seamen  for  any  cause  were  confined,  obtained  coun- 
sel for  them,  and  labored,  not  without  success,  for  the 
conversion  of  their  souls ;  so  that  some  came  forth  from 
prison  walls  to  lives  of  usefulness  on  the  sea.  I  wrote  for 
the  press  with  a  view  of  correcting  some  of  the  abuses 
which  were  encountered  at  sea,  and  advocated  the  abol- 
ishment of  advance  wages. 

In  April,  I  established,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Mariners'  F'amily  Industrial  Society,  a  monthly  paper 
called  the  "  Sea  Bird,"  and  edited  it  for  six  months  gra- 
tuitouslv.      Under  the  same  female  direction  I  assisted  in 


NEW    BOARDING-HOUSE.  241 

organizing  and  furnishing  the  Mariners'  House,  a  temper- 
ance and  rehgious  boarding-house  at  No.  193  Cherry 
Street,  which  was  opened  in  May.  A  weekly  prayer- 
meeting  was  commenced  in  the  August  following,  in  the 
reading-room,  through  which  souls  were  awakened  and 
converted.  During  all  this  year  the  social  meeting  was 
kept  up  with  increasing  interest  and  numbers.  At  every 
communion  season,  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  the  month,  we 
received  new  members  to  the  church.  No  single  admin- 
istration  of  the  ordinance  passed  without  the  admission 
of  from  three  to  twenty-one  into  covenant  with  the  Lord. 
The  whole  number  received  during  the  year  was  one 
hundred  and  nine,  an  average  of  over  nine  a  month. 
Ninety-eight  of  these  were  admitted  on  a  confession  of 
their  faith  in  Christ;  eleven  only,  by  certificate.  Of 
these  a  large  proportion  were  sailors.  Many  more  were 
converted  at  sea,  who  communicated  the  fact  of  their 
joyful  change  by  letter.  A  large  number  doubtless  were 
brought  to  Christ,  of  whose  redemption  we  shall  hear  for 
the  first  time  when  we  stand  before  the  great  White 
Throne.  It  is  our  comfort  that  "  the  Lord  knoweth  them 
that  are  his." 

In  June  a  young  sailor,  George  Hadley,  visited  my 
ofifice.  The  truth  presented  to  him  there,  reached  his 
heart.  He  signed  the  pledge  and  became  a  steady  at= 
tendant  upon  the  Sabbath  and  weekly  services.  In  a 
few  days  he  was  bowed  down  with  grief  on  account  of 
his  sins ;  he  felt  the  danger  of  his  soul,  and  before  sailing 
in  the  ''  Cordelia,"  gave  clear  evidence  of  having  passed 
from  death  to  life.  In  Port  au  Prince  he  was  taken  ill 
with  yellow  fever,  and  in  a  few  days  was  called  to  his 
heavenly  home.  His  shipmates  brought  the  news  of  his 
16 


242  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

happy  death,  and  his  request  that  1  would  write  and  in- 
form his  mother.  They  spoke  of  him  as  a  devoted  man, 
and  as  leading  a  life  that  left  no  doubt  in  their  minds  of 
his  future  companionship  with  his  Saviour  above.  Ano- 
ther instance,  illustrating  Pro  v.  xv.  23  :  "A  word  spoken 
in  due  season,  how  good  is  it !"  occurred  thus.  I  had 
been  visiting  among  my  people  in  company  with  Brother 
Helland,  and  returning  home,  three  Scandinavian  sailors 
crossed  our  path.  I  said  to  him,  "  There  are  three  of 
your  countrymen  ;  run,  give  them  a  card,  and  invite  them 
to  church." 

He  did  so,  and  that  night  all  three  were  at  the  Nor- 
wegian prayer-meeting.  One  was  convicted  of  sin,  and 
asked  what  he  should  do  to  be  saved  ?  He  was  pointed 
to  Christ  as  the  sinner's  friend,  found  peace  at  the  Cross, 
and  after  a  few  days  of  faithful  instruction,  went  to  sea  re- 
joicing in  the  love  of  God.  Off  Sandy  Hook,  after  the 
pilot  had  left  the  ship,  he  was  sent  aloft,  fell  from  the  top- 
sail yard  overboard,  and  was  drowned.  That  simple  in- 
vitation was  doubtless  blessed  of  God  to  the  shaping  of 
his  eternal  destiny  for  good.  What  became  of  the  other 
two,  we  did  not  learn.  But  to  him  it  was  evidently  a 
word  at  the  proper  time.  How  good  it  was  to  him 
eternity  alone  will  tell. 

The  month  of  December,  1857,  will  be  ever  memor- 
able in  the  history  of  many  who  were  brought  into  the 
Mariners'  cUurch,  as  the  period  of  their  birth  unto  right- 
eousness. It  will  be  remembered  by  many  as  a  blessed 
harvest  time,  prohfic  of  heavenly  fruit.  The  seed,  sown 
in  humble  dependence  on  the  Divine  spirit  and  blessing, 
watered  with  tears  and  nourished  by  continued  prayer, 
sprung  up  in  our  very  presence,  ''  first  the  blade,  then  the 


SUMMARY    OF    LABORS.  243 

ear,  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  Our  hearts  were 
thrilled  with  the  pleasure  of  success.  One  hundred  and 
thirty-nine,  during-  this  month  alone,  called  upon  me  in 
the  study,  on  the  all-important  matter  of  salvation.  I 
gave  personally  to  seamen  during  this  year,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  those  distributed  by  the  missionaries,  one 
hundred  and  seven  Bibles  and  ninety-seven  Testaments, 
in  English,  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  German,  and 
Welsh.  Nine  hundred  and  sixty  visits  were  received 
from  seamen  in  my  study,  exclusive  of  hundreds  at  my 
house.  These  gave  me  an  abundant  opportunity  to  urge 
home  upon  them  the  duty  and  privilege  of  faithfulness 
to  Christ.  Fi\*e  hundred  aud  fifty-eight  of  these  were 
Temperance  men ;  eighty- nine  others  signed  the  pledge 
to  abstain.  With  five  hundred  and  twenty-nine  I  had 
special  and  private  religious  conversation.  With  two 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  I  bowed  in  prayer.  One 
hundred  and  forty-five  of  these  were  seriously  seeking 
the  salvation  of  their  souls.  I  gave  to  men  going  to  sea, 
five  hundred  and  two  packages  of  assorted  tracts  and 
other  religious  reading  matter,  together  with  nearly  seven 
hundred  bound  volumes  on  important  topics  bearing  on 
the  moralities  of  life.  I  wrote  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  letters,  made  two  hundred  and  fifteen  pastoral  visits 
to  families,  boarding-houses,  and  hospitals.  In  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  I  bowed  in  prayer  with  the 
persons  visited,  engaged  in  religious  conversation,  and 
left  appropriate  reading.  During  the  last  eight  months 
two  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-six  were  induced 
by  our  young  men  to  attend  the  services  of  the  sanctuary, 
wlio  otherwise  miglit  never  have  heard  the  word  preach- 
ed.  This  is  a  rapid  resume — the  details  would  fill  volumes. 


244  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

••  A  LITTLE  CHILD  SHALL  LEAD  THEM." 
These  words  of  Holy  Writ  are  for  all  time.  They  find 
their  illustrations  in  all  ages,  because  the  principles 
which  underlie  them  are  adapted  to  men  in  the  relations 
which  they  sustain  to  God  and  each  other.  Especially 
are  they  true  of  the  Divine  influences  operative  under  the 
Gospel  dispensation.  They  are  commonly  regarded  as 
descriptive  of  the  change  wrought  by  Christianity  in 
wicked  men.  I  use  them  here  because  they  find  a 
remarkable  fulfilment  in  the  story  of  a  Scotch  lad,  who 
was  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  through  the  questioning 
of  a  child. 

Thomas  Wilson  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  in  the  year 
1838.  His  parents  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  His  father  was  a  surgeon  in  the  British  army  ; 
his  mother  a  French  woman — they  died  when  he  was 
about  ten  years  of  age.  While  his  parents  lived  he  was 
religiously  educated  ;  at  their  death,  an  uncle  sent  him  to 
a  boarding-school,  from  which  a  spirit  of  adventure  in- 
duced him  to  depart,  and  try  the  perils  of  the  sea.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  bound  himself  apprentice  to  an 
Austrahan  packet.  The  first  three  years  he  was  careless 
of  good,  and  the  interests  of  his  soul  were  wholly  lost 
sight  of.  It  was  in  this  condition  of  things  that  he  came 
under  my  notice.  Finding  him  in  our  church,  to  which 
he  had  been  invited,  I  took  him  to  my  home,  inquired 
into  his  history,  and  as  he  was  an  orphan,  and  in  a  sense 
adrift  in  the  world,  I  introduced  him  to  my  family,  and 
he  became  a  frequent  visitor.  He  enjoyed  inlaying  with 
the  children,  and  made  himself  generally  agreeable. 

On  one  of  these  visits,  my  eldest  child,  a  boy,  about 
five  years  old,  who  had  become  deeply  interested,  even 


DO   YOU    LOVE    GOD  ?  245 

at  that  early  age,  in  his  own  soul's  safety,  and  who  was 
often  present  with  me  in  my  study,  and  heard  my  con- 
versations with  the  seamen,  looked  affectionately  in  his 
face,  and  asked  him,  "  Tom,  do  you  love  God  ?  "  That 
simple  question  from  the  lips  of  a  babe  almost,  led  him 
to  consider  his  ways.  That  artless  inquiry  was  the  arrow 
that  pierced  his  soul,  and  awoke  him  from  his  slumber  of 
death.  He  burst  into  tears,  as  he  told  me  afterwards, 
and  left  the  house  to  hide  his  em.otion  from  the  children. 
Wlien  he  entered  his  boarding-house,  his  companions 
were  playing  cards.  He  passed  by  them  to  his  own 
room,  closed  his  door,  and  began  to  read  his  Bible,  and 
pray  for  the  pardon  of  his  sins.  He  was  in  great  agony 
of  soul  nearly  all  night,  wrestling  in  prayer,  and  drinking 
in  instructions  from  the  Divine  Word.  There  and  then, 
he  consecrated  himself  to  God's  service  before  he  slept. 
After  that  he  never  joined  his  former  companions  in  their 
follies  and  amusements.  He  said  to  me,  '*  A  chill  comes 
over  me  now,  when  I  hear  men  swear  and  take  the  name 
of  God  in  vain." 

From  that  day,  until  he  sailed  in  the  '  Star  of  Hope,' 
he  was  a  regular  attendant  on  the  means  of  grace.  The 
captain  and  one  of  the  sailors  were  Christians.  The 
sailor  (Smith),  was  a  bright  Christian  lad,  and  became 
closely  attached  to  our  young  brother.  When  in  port, 
they  spent  their  Sabbaths  on  shore,  in  tract  distribution, 
and  other  efforts  to  do  good.  After  an  absence  of  fifteen 
months,  Tom  returned  safely  to  us,  the  fire  of  Divine  love 
still  burning  in  his  heart.  He  stated  that  he  and  his 
friend  found  great  comfort  in  prayer  and  religious  con- 
versation in  their  night  watches  at  sea.  The  result  of 
their  faithfulness  was,  that  two  of  the  crew  were  pricked 


246  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

in  their  hearts,  but  not  sufficiently  decided  to  confess 
Christ  before  their  shipmates.  There  were  others  to 
wliom  their  example  came  with  a  different  effect,  for  some 
of  them  spitefully  threw  Smith's  Bible  overboard. 

In  Monte  Video  these  two  friends  separated — Sm.ith 
leaving  the  *  Star  of  Hope,'  to  join  another  vessel,  but 
both  retaining  the  true  missionary  spirit.  Before  their 
separation  they  divided  their  stock  of  religious  books 
and  tracts,  equally ;  and  having  exhorted  each  other  to 
watchfulness  and  prayer,  for  each  other  and  for  the 
church  in  New  York,  they  parted,  each  to  go  his  own 
way,  and  labor  for  Christ.  On  his  return,  Wilson  united 
with  our  church.  Shortly  after  this  event,  he  shipped  for 
Havre,  was  discharged  there,  and  shipped  for  Cardiff, 
where  he  was  to  load  coal  for  New  York.  The  vessel 
sailed,  but  has  never  since  been  heard  of  Letters 
of  inquiry  from  friends  in  Scotland,  whom  he  had  refer- 
red to  me  for  information  concerning  himself,  convince 
me  that  he  sleeps  in  the  great  waters  ;  but  where,  we  shall 
never  know,  until  the  sea  gives  up  its  dead.  I  have  no 
doubt,  however,  that  Tom,  who  loved  God  so  dearly, 
has  found  a  home  in  heaven,  where  there  is  "  no  more 
sea." 

THE   CHILIAN    CONVERT.  , 

On  the  5th  of  January,  a  fatherless  boy  arrived  from 
Chili,  and  was  received  into  our  family,  to  be  treated  as  our 
own  son.  His  father,  my  wife's  brother,  had  recently  died, 
while  on  a  visit  to  England,  and  left  his  widow  with  a 
family  of  eight  children  in  Santiago. 

Learning  of  her  sore  bereavement,  wife  and  I  proposed 
to    take   the   youngest    girl,    who   was   named   for    her; 


A    PROSELYTE    FROM    ROME.  247 

but  as  she  was  In  failing  health,  our  sister-in-law  sent  in 
her  place,  her  youngest  son,  Guillermo,  who  was  anx- 
ious to  visit  the  United  States.  We  received  notice  of 
his  sailing,  and  when  the  vessel  arrived,  I  went  to  Boston 
to  bring  him  home.  Judge  of  my  surprise,  however, 
when  instead  of  a  child,  I  found  him  a  fine-looking,  well- 
favored  youth  of  sixteen.  He  was  tall  of  his  age,  and 
spoke  English  quite  creditably. 

Knowing  that  he  had  been  reared  in  the  very  hot-bed 
of  Romanism,  and  that  he  had  been  early  set  apart  for 
the  priesthood,  we  decided  not  to  interfere  with  his  re- 
ligious convictions,  by  referring  to  his  creed,  or  by  invi- 
tation to  attend  our  services,  preferring  that  he  should  be 
Influenced  rather  by  our  lives,  than  by  any  efforts  at  pros- 
elytism  on  our  part.  We  felt  that  the  contrast  between 
our  home  and  his  own  would  be  the  most  convincing  ar- 
gument for  our  protestantism.  We  very  soon  learned 
that  the  Lord  had  been  before  us  in  the  matter ;  that  he 
had  heard  our  prayers,  and  had  already  led  him  to  cast 
loose  from  the  dogmas  of  Rome  without  our  instrumen- 
tality. In  view  of  our  pre-arranged  plan,  not  to  prose- 
lyte, when  evening  came  and  we  were  ready  to  go  to  the 
prayer-meeting,  Mrs.  Jones  said  to  him,  "  Wilham,  we 
are  going  out  for  an  hour  to  prayer-meeting ;  you  will 
excuse  us.  You  can  sit  here  till  we  return,  or,  if  you 
please,  as  you  are  probably  tired  after  your  sea  voyage, 
you  can  retire  to  your  room." 

I  came  In  at  that  moment,  and  added,  ''  Make  yourself 
perfectly  at  ease.  You  are  at  home.  My  library  is  at 
your  service,  if  you  wish  to  read."  To  our  great  satis- 
faction and  surprise,  however,  he  replied,  "  I  prefer  to  go 
with  you."     He  therefore  accompanied  us  to  the  meeting, 


248  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

was  very  attentive,  seemed  interested  in  the  services, 
and  kneeled  down,  apparently  in  deep  devotion  during 
the  time  of  prayer.  On  our  way  home,  my  wife  asked 
him  if  he  had  ever  been  in  a  protestant  church  before  ? 
fie  replied  he  had  not.  She  then  said,  **  What  do  you 
suppose  the  priest  would  say  if  he  knew  what  you  had 
done?"  He  responded,  "I  do  not  care  for  the  priest  or 
his  opinion  now.  The  priests  in  my  country  are  too  fond 
of  money.  I  do  not  like  them."  We  inquired,  "How 
long  is  it  since  you  began  to  have  these  thoughts?"  He 
said,  "  Only  since  I  came  on  board  an  American  vessel." 
He  then  in  substance  told  us  this  story : 

''Before  I  left  Chili,  I  saw  the  priest.  He  hung  a  scapular 
about  my  neck,  and  strictly  charged  me  not  to  read  a  protestant 
book,  especially  the  Bible,  and  forbade  my  entering  any  of  their 
churches.  I  went  on  board  the  ship,  fully  determined  to  die 
sooner  than  disobey  the  commands  of  my  spiritual  master.  On 
the  passage  I  felt  very  sad  and  lonely,  having  no  way  of  passing 
the  time,  that  hung  heavy  on  my  hands.  I  was  fond  of  reading, 
however,  and  felt  glad,  when  one  day  the  steward  asked  me  if 
I  would  like  to  read  a  very  nice  book,  which  he  would  lend  me. 
I  thanked  him,  received  the  book,  and  read  it  eagerly.  Hav- 
ing finished  it,  I  returned  it,  and  received  another,  a  series  of 
biographical  essays,  recounting  the  lives  of  good  men  and  wom- 
en. I  began  to  think  that  they  were  very  good  people.  I  won- 
dered how  they  became  so  good.  Could  it  be  the  Bible  which 
they  all  seemed  to  reverence  and  love  ?  I  was  anxious  to  read  the 
book  that  bore  such  fruit.  The  steward  supplied  me  with  a 
copy,  which  I  read.  The  result  was — that  while  reading  God's 
Holy  Word  my  eyes  were  opened.  I  cast  off  my  false  religion, 
threw  overboard  my  scapular  and  beads,  and  prayed  no  more  to 
the  Virgin  and  the  saints.  And  now  I  pray  to  God  only,  and  I 
know  that  I  am  in  the  right  way. " 


THE    PRIEST'S   ADMONITION.  249 

I  need  not  say  that  his  account  of  the  change,  gave  us 
great  joy,  and  filled  our  souls  with  gratitude  to  God. 
We  had  been  wondering  how  we  could  reach  his  soul  to 
release  it  from  the  bondage  of  death  in  which  we  knew 
him  to  be  held;  and  trembhng  lest  his  influence  over  our 
children  should  be  injurious  to  their  young  hearts  ;  and 
lo!  the  Lord  had  *'  rolled  away  the  stone,"  and  reheved  us 
of  our  fears.  His  darkness  had  been  turned  to  day,  his 
soul  had  been  freed  from  the  fetters  of  superstition  and 
bigotry  of  his  native  land,  and  all  this,  too,  through  the 
faithful  and  prayerful  effort  of  a  converted  sailor  who  had 
but  a  little  before  been  brought  to  the  Saviour's  feet  him- 
self. 

A  few  days  after  William  arrived,  the  steward,  Renken, 
who  had  been  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  of 
opening  his  eyes  to  the  light,  came  to  the  house,  to  in- 
quire after  his  spiritual  welfare.  From  him  we  learned 
something  of  the  process  through  which  he  had  passed. 
He  stated : 

"I  noticed  William  was  looking  quite  sad,  and  was  very  lonely. 
Knowing  that  he  was  leaving  his  home  behind  him,  I  felt  sympa- 
thy for  him,  and  as  he  seemed  to  be  fond  of  reading,  I  offered 
him  some  of  my  good  books  to  read.  He  appeared  interested  in 
and  grateful  for  them.  He  evidently  thought  of  what  he  had  read, 
because  he  asked  me  many  questions  about  the  persons  whose 
biography  he  had  read.  I  saw  that  the  leaven  was  working,  and 
made  him  the  subject  of  many  prayers  I  entreated  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  enlighten  his  dark  heart.  I  watched  him  daily,  and  saw 
that  he  became  more  and  more  interested,  and  his  inquiries 
were  more  frequent.  One  day  I  said  to  him,  '  I  have  a  book  which, 
if  you  will  read  it,  will  answer  all  your  questions.'  I  then  hand- 
ed him  the  Bible.  He  started  back  as  if  it  had  been  a  serpent. 
"*  No! '  he  exclaimed,   with  vehemence,    '  I  will  not  touch  that 


250  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

book  !  The  priest  told  me  that  it  was  a  bad  book,  and  that  I 
must  never  touch  it.  I  will  read  any  other  book  but  that  !'  I 
said  to  him,  '  I  am  sorry,  because  it  is  the  best  of  books,  and 
the   reading  of  it  is  able  to  make  you  wise  unto  salvation. " 

''  A  few  mornings  after,  he  came  to  me,  and  asked  me  to  let 
him  see  my  Bible.  He  said,  'I  wish  to  read  it  for  myself — be- 
cause I  cannot  understand  how,  if  it  is  a  bad  book,' as  the  priests 
say  it  is,  the  reading  of  it  could  make  so  many  people  good. 
How  is  it,  that  they  lived  so  purely,  and  died  so  happily  as  the 
result  of  reading  it?  I  cannot  think  it  bad.'  I  handed  him  the 
Word.  His  mind  seemed  to  be  very  much  exercised.  He  often 
talked  with  me  about  it,  in  a  way  which  convinced  me  that  the 
scales  of  error  were  falling  from  his  eyes. 

' '  One  morning,  he  came  on  deck,  and  approaching  me,  his 
face  all  aglow  with  apparent  gladness,  he  said,  'See!  here 
they  go  !'  Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  hurled  his  beads  and 
scapular  as  far  as  he  could  from  the  ship,  into  the  sea,  saying,  as 
he  did  so,  '  there  go  all  my  prayers  to  the  Virgin  and  the  saints  ; 
I  pray  to  them  no  more.  The  Lord  Jesus  alone  shall  have  all 
my  heart's  devotions,  my  adoration,  and  my  love. '  I  feel  sure 
that  he  is  converted,  and  pray  that  he  may  become  a  burning 
and  shining  light." 

That  sailor's  prayer  was  most  fully  answered,  as  the 
sequel  will  show.  We  were  pleased  to  hear  this  account 
from  the  lips  of  this  poor  uneducated  sailor,  who  by  a 
strange  coincidence,  was  a  member  of  our  congregation, 
and  with  his  wife  afterwards  became  members  of  our 
church. 

Just  four  weeks  from  his  landing  on  our  shores, 
William  became  a  member  of  the  Mariners'  church,  on  a 
confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ.  He  also  joined  the 
Bible  dass,  became  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  of  the  church,  joined  the  band  of  young 


RETURN    TO    CHILI.  25  I 

men  who  went  out  into  the  streets  and  lanes,  and  along  the 
wharves,  and  visited  the  boarding-houses  to  invite  sea- 
men to  the  house  of  God.  Poor  fellow  !  he  had  a  hard 
struggle.  Naturally  possessed  of  a  fiery  temper  and  a 
spirit  as  proud  as  any  hidalgo,  he  often  gave  us  trouble  and 
sorrow,  often  misunderstood  our  motives,  and  acted  rashly 
under  the  impulse  of  pride  and  anger.  But  his  better 
judgment  prevailing,  he  came  and  apologized,  and  en- 
deavored to  curb  himself  in  the  future. 

After  he  had  been  with  us  about  four  years,  he  had  a 
longing  for  his  home,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  return  and 
teach  the  people  what  he  knew  of  the  Saviour  and  of  the 
Bible.  A  passage  was  procured  for  him  in  a  ship  bound 
from  New  York  to  Valparaiso,  and  in  December,  1861, 
he  sailed  for  Chili.  He  was  well  supplied  with  copies  of 
the  New  Testament  in  Spanish,  and  with  other  good  books 
and  tracts.  He  met  with  but  little  sympathy  from  his 
mother  and  family,  who  having  learned  that  he  had 
abandoned  Rome,  cared  little  for  him.  On  reaching 
Santiago,  he  became  interested  and  engaged  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  He  opened  a  store 
for  the  sale  of  Bibles  and  other  good  books,  and  had  a  class 
of  boys  to  whom  he  taught  the  English  language.  His 
labors  were  ardent  and  self-denying  and  not  without  evi- 
dence of  good  accomplished.  In  his  correspondence  he 
evinced  a  strong  affection  for  the  young  men  who  had 
been  his  companions  in  the  church,  and  mentioned  many 
of  them  by  name.  We  had  long  letters  from  him  from 
time  to  time,  telling  us  of  the  work  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged for  the  Lord,  of  his  encouragement  and  discourage- 
ments ;  in  all  of  which  he  longed  for  the  freedom  of  the 
land    he   had    left.     The    contrasts   between    missionary 


25 3  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

work  \n  fl^e  United  States  and  in   Soutii   America    were 
very  great.     In  a  letter  to  us,  he  says : 

'"I  am  studying  hard  to  master  the  Spanish  and  EngHsh  gram- 
m.ar  and  arithmetic.  When  I  have  accomplished  this  I  intend  by 
God's  help,  to  return  to  the  United  States — the  land  of  the  Bible, 
the  land  of  Christian  liberty  and  privileges.  I  remember  those 
privileges  with  joy,  and  thirst  for  them  now,  as  the  hart  pants  for 
the  sparkling  brook  in  the  scorching  deserts.  Do  you  think  it 
would  be  possible  for  me  to  get  a  posidon  as  a  translator  in  the 
Bible  or  Tract  House  ?  " 

"The  return  he  anticipated  and  longed  for,  however, 
never  came  to  him.  While  pursuing  his  studies  and  do- 
ing his  Master's  work,  he  married  a  Chilian  lady  and  gave 
up  his  projected  journey  to  the  United  States. 

Providence  seemed  to  demand  his  continued  efforts  for 
souls  in  Chili.  But  the  time  was  drawing  nigh  for  him, 
when  the  conflict  with  illiberality,  bigotry  and  priestcraft, 
and  with  sin  in  all  its  forms,  was  to  cease  forever ;  and 
his  soul  find  the  consummation  of  that  rest  into  which 
he  so  happily  entered  in  his  union  with  Christ  and  his  peo- 
ple in  that  auspicious  year  of  the  Lord,  1858.  Fifteen 
years  of  a  noble  Christian  life  had  been  enjoyed,  fifteen 
years  of  labor  for  the  Master;  and  now  the  young  soldier 
is  to  lay  aside  the  habiliments  of  his  warfare  and  receiv^e 
the  conqueror's  crown. 

Early  in  the  year  1874,  a  letter  was  received  from  a 
friend  of  the  family  in  Santiago,  giving  us  an  account  of 
his  most  triumphant  departure. 

Death — that  cannot  so  be  called  which  summons  the 
soul  before  the  divine  Majesty,  to  be  ushered  into  life 
eternal.  It  said,  after  stating  that  his  illness  was  brief, 
culminating  in  heart  disease  : 


DEATH-BED    SCENES.  253 

*'  You  will  be  glad,  I  am  sure,  to  know  that  your  nephew 
died  a  most  happy  death,  the  death  of  a  true  Christian.  Through 
all  his  sickness  he  was  cheerful,  and  spoke  to  those  around  him 
beautiful  words  of  hope  and  joy,  telling  them  that  he  was  resign- 
ed, and  felt  prepared  to  depart,  trusting  only  in  his  Saviour, 
through  whom,  and  by  whom  alone  he  knew  that  he  would  enter 
into  peace.  He  was  conscious  to  the  last.  He  called  to  re- 
membrance the  religious  teachings  he  had  received  among  the 
people  of  God  in  New  York,  and  requested  his  sister  to  tender  to 
you  and  Mrs.  Jones  his  last  farewell.  Also  to  tell  you  that  the 
hymn, 

'  There  is  a  happy  land 
Far,  far  away ' — 

which  they  used  to  sing  in  the  Young  Men's  prayer-meeting  in 
the  Mariners'  church  in  New  York,  had  been  to  him  a  source 
of  great  consolation.  Often  during  his  illness  he  desired  to  have 
it  sung  to  him,  he  joining  in  as  he  was  able.  His  sorrowing 
mother  and  sisters  could  not  but  be  resigned  to  their  loss,  when 
they  witnessed  his  peaceful  end,  and  knew  that  he  was  happy  and 
at  rest."  Some  months  after  his  decease,  his  sister  wrote  us  a 
minute  account  of  his  sufferings  and  death,  in  which  she  says,  ' '  I 
wish  you  could  have  been  here  to  have  seen  him  die  so  happily. 
The  Lord  must  have  loved  him  very  much  to  have  given  him 
such  a  death.  He  was  sick  only  nine  days  ;  but  during  that 
time  he  did  not  forget  the  Lord  one  moment.  He  said  very 
often,  '  God  Eternal,  have  mercy  upon  me  !  Remember  that  I 
am  but  a  poor  miserable  worm  ! '  His  faith  was  so  strong — so 
true — his  words  so  beautiful,  that  every  one  present  said  it  was 
like  seeing  an  angel  die." 

(It  will  be  remembered  that  almost  all  that  were  about  him, 
were  Roman  Catholics.)  "Being  asked  if  he  had  confessed,  he 
answered,  'Yes,  I  have  confessed  to  the  Great  Confessor.' 
There  was  such  a  solemn  expression  as  he  lifted  up  his  eyes  to 
heaven.  He  was  so  humble,  and  so  patient,  although  his  suf- 
ferings were  very  great.      He  laid  them  all  on  Jesus.      He  was 


254  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SEAMEN. 

always  speaking  of  God.  One  day  I  heard  him  say,  '  How 
great,  O  Lord,  is  thy  victoiy  over  me  ! ' 

' '  He  was  told  that  the  sisters  of  charity  and  some  good  priests 
were  praying  for  him,  and  was  asked  if  he  hked  tiiat?  He 
answered,  '  I  beheve  in  the  prayers  of  those  who  beheve  in 
God.'  Before  he  was  taken  sick,  he  had  an  impression  that  he 
would  not  live  long.  He  told  his  wife  so,  and  said  to  her. 
'  Take  our  little  son,  that  he  may  shed  a  tear  over  my  grave  and 
say,  '  Dear  papa  !  Dear  papa  !  '  He  often  expressed  a  wish  to 
depart,  often  crying  out,  '  O  Lamb  of  God,  into  thy  hands  I 
commit  my  spirit  !' 

"We  believed  he  was  inspired  by  God.  He  told  me  that  he 
would  like  to  die,  because  then,  he  said,  '  I  will  see  my  dear 
father,'  He  said  to  his  mother,  '  I  am  going  to  sleep  ;  while  I 
do  so,  will  you  pray  for  me  .?'  He  always  seemed  so  happy 
when  any  one  spoke  to  him  of  Jesus.  One  day,  as  he  was  feel- 
ing a  little  better,  I  remarked  to  him,  'Who  knows  but  the 
Lord  may  spare  your  life.?'  He  answered,  '  I  do  not  wish  to 
live,  because  I  am  afraid  of  the  world  and  of  my  own  heart  ; 
but,  if  I  live  (lifting  his  eyes  heavenward),  it  will  be  only  for 
Him!'  His  mother  was  amazed  at  these  expressions  of  a  soul 
just  ready  to  depart — while  his  whole  countenance  was  illumined 
with  the  brightness  of  immortality.  He  was  conscious  that  he 
was  dying,  and  exclaimed  :  '  Lord  !  show  thyself  unto  me  in 
thy  glory,  and  illumine  these  also  who  stand  around  me.  May 
these  and  all  those  who  have  gone  before  from  all  the  ends  of 
the  earth,*  meet  me  clad  in  robes  that  are  whiter  than  snow. 
O  hours,  pass  away  !  world,  farewell  I' 

''  flis  mother  expressed  her  sorrow  for  his  suiTerings.  He 
replied,  '  We  cannot  enter  His  presence  unless  we  are  purified, 
even  as  gold  and  silver  is  purified. '  His  mother  said,  *  I  am 
pleased  to  hear  you  speak  thus,  my  son.'  He  replied,  *  These 
are  the  words  of  the   Book   of  Truth. '     Realizing  that  his  end 

*  He  evidently  had  reference  to  the  many  converted  seamen  he  was 
accustomed  to  meet  in  New  York. 


DEATH-BED    SCENES.  255 

was  near,  he  expressed  a  wish  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Rev.  Mr.  Itanez,  a  Protestant  clergyman,  administered  it  to 
him.  Prayer  was  offered  and  hymns  sung.  He  sent  his  fare- 
wells to  his  uncle  and  aunt  in  New  York,  and  asked  their  for- 
giveness for  all  the  trouble  his  unhappy  temper  had  caused 
them.  He  also  sent  his  dying  messages  to  his  young  friends  in 
New  York.  He  wished  his  little  son  to  be  brought  to  him,  that 
he  might  give  his  dying  counsel  to  him..  His  brother  suggested 
that  the  child  was  too  young  to  remember  what  was  said  to  him. 
'  Well,'  he  said,  '  tell  him  to  be  a  good  and  virtuous  man,  and 
that  there  is  salvation  in  none  other  than  Jesus  Christ.'  These 
were  his  last  words." 

The  effect  of  his  beautiful  example  and  happy  death 
was  not  lost  on  those  who  surrounded  his  dying  bed. 
His  younger  brother,  Robert,  an  officer  of  cavalry  in 
the  Chilian  army,  who  since  died  from  exposure,  after  the 
battle  of  "Tacna,"  in  1880,  and  Vvdio  was  beloved  by  his 
comrades  and  officers  for  his  brave  and  gentle  spirit,  said, 
"If  I  knew  that  I  could  die  like  William,  I  should  not  be 
afraid  to  die." 

In  describing  the  death  scene,  his  sister  says: 

''What  silence,  what  solemnity  reigned  !  His  wife  and  his 
mother  stood  by  the  bedside  ;  his  brother  Henry  was  sobbing. 
The  minister  stood  with  his  hands  over  his  eyes.  The  lamp 
was  still  burning  as  the  gray  dawn  crept  in  through  the  cur- 
tained window.  But  where  was  William  ?  He  was  safely  sleep- 
ing in  the  arms  of  his  Saviour,  who  had  washed  his  sins  away. 
The  natural  beauty  of  his  features  was  enhanced  by  the  express- 
ion of  holy  light  which  spread  over  his  countenance.  The 
solemn  silence  was  broken  by  the  voice  of  the  minister  reading 
something  about  those  who,  like  William,  died,  but  will  rise  again. 
I  don't  know  the  words,  but  they  are  from  the  Bible,  I  suppose. 
At  William's  request  the  funeral  services  was  held  in  the  church. 


256  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

which  was  draped  in  mourning.  A  great  many  people  were 
present,  among  them,  all  the  boys  of  William's  school.  His 
pastor  preached  a  very  impressive  sertnon,  and  delivered  William's 
dying  message  to  his  scholars  in  these  words  :  '  Never  forget  God, 
as  there  is  never  any  true  happiness  except  in  loving  Jesus  Christ. ' 
He  also  described  his  happy  death,  and  spoke  of  the  example  he 
had  left  to  his  family  and  friends." 

She  closes   the  letter  thus : 

"  Now,  my  dear  uncle  and  aunt,  adieu  !  William  is  with  us 
no  more,  but  it  is  certain   that  you  have  a  nephew  in  heaven." 

So  closed  the  lips  of  this  young  brother  in  Christ.  No 
one  can  doubt  the  sincerity  of  his  repentance,  the  genuine- 
ness of  his  conv^ersion,  nor  his  acceptance  by  his  all-for- 
giving Saviour.  Who  can  measure  the  good  accomplish- 
ed, and  to  be  accomplished,  by  the  effort  of  that  humble, 
unlettered  Christian  sailor,  who  in  mid-ocean  served  his 
Master  so  faithfully,  and  loved  the  soul  of  his  brother  so 
well,  that  God  gave  to  him  this  young  Chilian  convert 
for  the  reward  of  his  faithfulness.  Yet  this  was  not  all. 
He  labored  zealously  for  many  years  to  win  souls  to 
Christ,  both  at  sea  and  ashore.  It  is  but  recently  that  he 
laid  aside  the  weapons  of  his  warfare  and  departed  to  re- 
ceive his  inheritance  and  crown.  To-day  he  rejoices 
with  his  Chilian  brother  *'  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of 
God,"  where  **  there  is  joy  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth." 

THE    SAILOR   TURNED    PROFESSOR. 

Early  in  the  fall  an  Irish  sailor  boy  was  sent  to  me  by 
a  gentleman  in  the  Tract  House,  as  one  who  was  in  need 
of  a  friend.  I  learned  from  his  own  lips  that  he  had  just 
arrived  ^1  a  Black   Ball    liner    from    Liverpool,  and  was 


READS   TWENTY-THREE    LANGUAGES.  257 

homeless  and  destitute.  I  took  him  under  my  care 
immediately,  found  him  a  child  of  God,  procured  for  him 
a  situation,  and  watched  over  his  interests.  In  a  few 
weeks  he  united  with  my  church.  Displaying  a  talent 
for  language,  and  a  desire  to  study,  'he  was  assisted  by 
friends,  sent  to  Andover,  and  thence  to  Princeton  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1865.  From  the  time  of  his 
leaving  the  Academy,  I  heard  but  little  of  his  progress,  and 
amid  the  excitements  of  the  rebellion  I  lost  all  track  of 
him.  In  April,  1880,  having  learned  that  he  had  been 
employed  in  the  Second  Comptroller's  office,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  I  wrote  to  that  department,  making  inquiries 
about  him.  In  reply  I  received  his  address,  and  wrote 
to  him.  My  letter  found  him  Professor  of  Languages, 
Mathematics  and  Astronomy,  Principal  of  an  academy 
on  the  Hudson,  and  wearing  the  honorary  titles  of  A.M.* 
and  LL.  B.  In  a  few  days  I  received  from  him  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  which  tells  its  own  story.  The  writer 
is  referred  to  in  a  previous  chapter,  as  having  acquired 
twenty-three  ancient  and  modern  languages. 

''April  26th,  1880. 
"Rev.  Chas.  J.  Jones:  My  dear  good  Friend — How  glad  I 
am  to  hear  from  you  ;  I  just  received  your  letter,  which  was  for- 
warded to  me  from  Washington.  I  only  wish  it  was  yourself  was 
here,  that  I  might  shake  hands  with  you  and  embrace  you,  and 
talk  over  the  long  years  that  have  flown  since  we  spoke  face  to 
face.  I  have  never  forgotten  you — I  never  will  forget  you.  I 
never  can.  I  was  thinking  of  you  and  your  family  not  over  two 
days  ago.  First,  I  must  ask  after  the  health  of  yourself,  Mrs. 
Jones  and  the  children,  now  of  course  all  grown  up — perhaps 
married  and  away.  I  trust  all  are  well  and  happy.  Of  yourself 
I  will  say,  that  I  think  you  are  one  of  those  who  will  never  grow 
old.  Your  big,  warm  and  friendly  heart  keeps  out  the  cold 
17 


258  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

world  and  all  the  ravages  of  time.  Well  do  I  remember  twenty- 
three  years  ago  (just  think  how  time  flies),  when  a  stranger  boy, 
poor  and  friendless,  I  entered  your  study.  Without  any  recom- 
mendation, save  that  I  wore  a  sailor's  jacket,  which  you  perceived 
was  buttoned  over  an  honest  heart,  you  took  me  by  the  hand, 
spoke  kindly,  warmly,  and  unreservedly  to  me,  more  like  a  broth- 
er than  a  stranger  that  I  had  never  seen  before,  and  then  started 
me  on  the  course  of  life  that  I  have  been  pursuing  ever  since. 
Ah,  my  good  and  dear  brother,  like  the  evangelist  we  read  of  in 
the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  there  is  many  a  poor  Christian  whom  you 
have  directed  and  started  towards  the  Wicket  Gate,  encouraged 
and  strengthened  on  the  pilgrimage  of  life,  the  happier  and  bet- 
ter for  having  met  and  known  you,  and  whose  recollections  of 
you  were,  and  are,  amongst  the  most  pleasing  incidents  of  their 
lives.  I  doubt  if  there  is  a  port  in  this  wide  world,  or  a  merchant 
marine,  or  a  navy,  in  which  you  would  not  find  hearts  that 
would  glow  at  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Charles  J.  Jones,  of  New 
York,  and  remember  some  wann  f7-iendly  impulse  or  act  of  his, 
confirming  the  well-known  and  well-deserved  title  of  the  '  Sailors' 
Friend. ' 

"Yes,  dear  brother,  there  are  some  men  that  the  Lord  seems 
to  have  stationed,  like  the  evangelist  before  mentioned,  at  im- 
portant points  in  the  highway  of  life,  to  assist,  guide,  and  en- 
courage his  poor  wanderers.  You  are  one  of  these.  The  good 
you  have  done  in  the  last  thirty  years  to  the  poor  wanderers  of  all 
lands  is  only  known  to  '  Him  who  counteth  the  number  of  the 
stars  ;'  and  '  whose  rewards  are  in  his  hands.'  What  a  happy  re- 
flection you  must  have,  as  you  go  down  the  sunny  slope  of  life, 
to  feel,  as  you  look  through  these  Golden  Gates  of  the  West,  that 
there  are  many  friendly  spirits  there  who  will  recognize  and  wel- 
come you,  and  remember  some  kind  and  friendly  act  of  your  life. 

' '  You  will  ask,  my  dear  Mr.  Jones,  why  I  did  not  write,  etc. 
Well,  I  don't  know  what  to  answer  ;  only  that  it  was  no  lack  of 
love,  or  friendship,  or  gratitude.  The  many  ups  and  downs 
and  distractions  of  th2  world,  in  variou3  ways,  switch  one  oif,  and 


TELLS    HIS    OWN    STORY.  259 

prevent  him  often  from  doing  what  he  ought  to  do.  I  did  call 
to  see  you  a  few  years  after  we  parted,  but  I  found  you  had  left 
the  city  and  taken  charge  of  some  Institution  down  the  bay.  I 
suppose  it  is  where  you  are  still.  I  even  purposed  to  write  to  you, 
but  procrastination  and  the  excitement  of  the  times  prevented  me. 

"You  are  no  doubt  anxious  to  know  how  I  have  fared,  and 
what  I  have  been  doing  since  we  last  corresponded.  It  is  a 
long  stor}^,  and  I  must  reserve  it  in  detail,  until  we  meet  :  but  it 
is  in  brief  as  follows.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Darrach 
and  several  good  friends  whom  he  found  for  me,  I  was  enabled 
to  finish  my  course  at  Andover  and  at  Princeton.  It  was  my  in- 
tention to  enter  the  ministry ;  but  before  I  completed  my 
college  course,  my  father  died,  in  the  old  country,  leaving  my 
mother  and  several  children  unprovided  for.  I  felt  obliged  to 
take  some  employment  in  order  to  earn,  and  assist  them,  as 
soon  as  I  graduated  from  college.  I  went  twice  to  the  old 
country  during  my  college  course,  and  brought  out  some  of  my 
brothers  and  sisters  each  time.  One  of  my  brothers  is  now  an 
esteemed  minister  of  the  gospel  and  stationed  as  rector  over  an 
Episcopal  church  in  Connecticut.  I  also  married  for  love,  leav- 
ing my  wife  in  the  old  country  with  her  friends  until  I  was 
settled  in  a  situation  here.  We  were  both  poor  in  this  world's 
goods,  but  rich  in  every  other  way.  That  was  seventeen  years 
ago  ;  and  we  have  lived  very  happily  ever  since.  We  have  six 
children,  healthy  and  strong  and  promising.  The  oldest  boy  is 
thirteen  years  old,  and  is  now  in  the  middle  class  in  the 
Academy. 

"  But  to  return.  When  I  graduated,  I  was  offered  a  place  in 
the  Second  Comptroller's  office  for  some  sendee  as  a  speaker  on 
the  side  of  the  Union  during  the  presidential  campaign.  I  felt 
under  obligation  to  enter  the  ministry,  because  I  thought  the 
help  I  received  in  getting  my  education  was  to  that  end.  But 
on  an  interview  with  Mr.  Darrach,  he  assured  me  that  he  had  it 
strictly  understood  by  those  friends,  that  I  was  free  to  use  my 
education  as  I  liked.     I  took  the  place  at  Washington  with  the 


260  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

intention  of  remaining  only  a  short  time  ;  but  behold,  I  was 
there  eleven  years  ;  and  it  seemed  as  though  I  never  could 
leave.  I  improved  my  time,  however,  in  the  matter  of  improv- 
ing my  mind,  and  about  four  years  ago  I  was  offered  a  place 
as  Professor  of  Modern  Languages,  Greek  and  Astronorfly  in  this 
Academy.  I  was  placed  at  the  head  of  it  some  months  ago,  and 
so  far  everything  is  running  well. 

''This,  my  dear  friend,  is  a  brief  sketch  of  my  life  since  last 
we  met.  I  have  great  reason  to  thank  the  Lord  for  his  merciful 
dealings  with  me,  and  I  do.  I  will  be  most  happy  to  hear  from 
you,  and  to  learn  how  the  Lord  has  dealt  with  you  these  long 
years.  I  fear  I  have  wearied  you  with  this  long  letter,  and  yet  I 
know  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  from  me.  I  am  glad  that  the 
ice  is  broken.  We  will  have  a  long  talk  the  next  time  we  meet. 
What  great  changes  in  our  country  and  in  the  world  since  first 
we  met !  Yes,  even  what  changes  in  the  great  city  of  New 
York.  Now  I  must  close,  extending  to  you,  my  dear  brother 
in  the  Lord,  the  cordial  greeting  of  one  who  loves  you,  and 
wishes  you  well.  I  trust  the  summer  will  not  pass  before  we 
speak  face  to  face,  on  all  the  Lord's  kind  dealings  with  us. 

"  Your  ever  affectionate  and  grateful  friend, 

''T.  R." 

After  the  receipt  of  this  very  pleasing  letter,  I  felt  more 
and  more  interested  in  his  history,  and  I  was  anxious  to 
recall  it,  as  much  of  the  detail  of  our  early  intercourse 
was  never  recorded  by  me,  and  consequently  in  the  rush- 
ing tide  of  exciting  events,  had  passed  out  of  my  recollec- 
tion. I  therefore  wrote,  asking  him  to  refresh  my  memory, 
by  his  own  personal  reminiscences.  This  he  did  in  the 
following  epistle : 

''Kingston,  New  York,  May  22nd,  1880. 
^'  Rev.  and  Dear  Brother — You  wish  me  to  write  you  what  I 
recollect  of  our  first  interview,    about  twenty-three  years  ago. 
Well,  it  is  pleasant  tj  recall  this  incident,  that  had  such  an  influ- 


TELLS    HIS   OWN    STORY.  26 1 

ence  on  my  whole  life  ;  and  I  will  do  so,  as  far  as  I  can  remember, 
but  I  mus:  begin  a  little  back.  I  was  the  oldest  of  seven  chil- 
dren. My  father,  who  was  an  excellent  Christian  man,  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him,  was  a  scripture  reader,  under  the  Irish 
Church  Mission  Society  in  the  west  of  Ireland.  His  salary  was 
very  small,  not  much  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year ; 
and  for  nine  in  a  family,  this  was  entirely  inadequate,  even  in 
such  a  cheap  country-  as  Ireland.  To  help  to  support  the  family, 
I  taught  a  small  village  school  for  a  few  years,  for  a  mere  trifle. 
But  like  most  boys  who  are  brought  up  on  the  sea  shore,  I  con- 
ceived a  great  desire  to  go  to  sea.  I  studied,  with  a  view  to  that 
end,  works  on  seamanship  and  navigation,  and  gained  a  good 
theoretical  knowledge. 

"In  my  vacations  I  made  short  trips  between  the  ports  on  our 
west  coast,  and  was  said,  for  a  young  lad,  to  be  quite  expert  in 
handling  the  hookers  and  small  craft  that  plied  between  Westport, 
Galway,  and  Belmullett.  I  did  not  give  way  to  my  desire  to  go 
to  sea,  however,  whilst  I  had  employment,  and  could  assist  my 
parents.  But  unexpectedly  the  society  withdrew  their  missions 
from  that  part  of  Ireland  for  lack  of  funds  and  we  were  all  thrown 
out  of  employment.  I  thought,  now  the  time  had  come  for  me 
to  make  a  move,  and  getting,  reluctantly,  the  consent  of  my  pa- 
rents, I  took  my  sea-bag  and  just  what  money  would  take  me  to 
Liverpool.  Here  I  shipped  as  ordinary  seaman  on  board  the 
James  Foster,  Jr.,  of  the  Black  Ball  Line.  I  was  treated  with 
great  kindness  by  the  officers.  The  crew,  however,  were  a  very 
rough  lot  of  men,  composed  of  all  nationalities.  The  mode 
of  life  in  those  ships  completely  spoiled  all  the  romance  of  the 
sea  which  I  had  preconceived. 

"  Not  having  the  money  or  the  experience  to  procure  a  proper 
outfit,  I  had  to  rough  my  way  the  best  I  could  ;  and  I  must  say 
that  among  the  roughest  and  wildest  of  these  poor  sons  of  the  sea, 
there  are  very  many  redeeming  qualities  and  noble  traits,  which 
they  seldom  get  credit  for.  I  used  to  retire  sometimes  for  prayer 
imder  the  forecastle,  and  there,  one  morning,  whilst  kneeling  on 


262  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  chain  cables,  and  resting  against  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit,  I 
was  surprised  by  one  of  the  roughest  and  hardest  of  the  crew.  He 
was  the  terror  of  the  forecastle.  I  expected  a  kick  and  a  cuff  and 
an  oath  :  but  no — he  spoke  as  mildly  as  a  child,  and  said  : 
'Don't  be  disturbed,  go  on.'  He  quietly  looked  for  what  he 
wanted  and  withdrew.  He  was  a  brawny,  powerful  man,  and 
few  dare  to  contradict  him.  Ever  after  that  little  incident,  he  was 
my  friend ;  and  one  night,  while  taking  in  the  flying-jib,  saved 
me  from  being  washed  overboard,  and  showed  me  many  other 
acts  of  kindness.  I  often  asked  myself  how  the  mere  fact  of  see- 
ing a  boy  pray  could  have  such  an  effect  upon  that  rough,  wild, 
dare-devil  seaman  ?     I  never  met  him  since. 

''I  entered  the  port  of  New  York  without  one  cent  in  my 
pocket ;  yet  as  I  passed  up  the  Narrows  and  saw  all  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  scenery  and  the  great  wealthy  city  beyond,  I  felt 
that  I  should  not  want.  I  felt  that  the  Lord  whom  I  loved,  and 
who  I  felt  was  directing  my  steps,  would  not  see  me  want,  espec- 
ially as  I  meant  to  do  right  and  follow  his  guidance. 

"All  the  crew  hastened  away,  before  the  ship  was  brought  to 
the  dock  ;  I  was  the  only  one  that  remained.  In  helping  to 
wash  the  between-decks,  I  picked  up  a  tract  that  was  laying  on 
the  floor.  It  was  entitled,  '  Advice  to  Young  Seamen  on  Going 
Ashore,'  I  thought  this  appropriate,  and  kept  it  and  read  it.  I 
^made  up  my  mind  that  I  could  not  help  my  poor  parents  much 
by  going  to  sea,  and  I  knew  that  they  now  needed  assistance  ;  so 
I  said  to  myself  that  I  would  try  my  fortune  on  shore.  The 
mate  had  evidently  been  pleased  with  my  course  on  the  voyage, 
for  he  came  forward,  and  said  I  might  stay  by  the  ship  as  long 
as  I  liked.  I  thanked  him;  but  did  not  like  the  idea  of  going 
back  to  Liverpool.  So  I  said,  I  would  try  what  I  could  do  on 
shore.  I  had  no  money,  and  the  only  course  for  me  was  to  go 
to  a  sailors'  boarding-house,  whence,  if  I  could  get  nothing  to 
do,  I  could  ship  again,  and  pay  my  board  with  my  advance.  I 
accordingly  went  to  one  on  a  street  near  the  East  River. 

' '  The  next  day  I   walked  up  through  the  city,  looking  for  a 


TELLS   HIS    OWN    STORY.  263 

situation,  but  was  unsuccessful.  While  returning  to  my  board- 
ing-house, discouraged,  I  passed  by  the  American  Tract  Society, 
near  the  City  Hall.  I  immediately  remembered  it,  on  account 
of  the  tract,  and  saw  that  it  was  the  same  number ;  so  I  concluded 
that  was  the  place  to  go  in,  and  get  advice.  I  went  boldly  in, 
and  I  was  passed  to  the  gentleman  in  charge,  who  was  called 
Mr.  Eastman.  I  told  him  I  wanted  some  employment.  I  was 
willing  to  do  what  I  could.  He  smiled,  and  said  the  best  thing 
he  could  do  for  me  would  be  to  recommend  me  to  the  Rev. 
Charles  J.  Jones  of  the  Mariners'  church,  an  excellent  man,  who 
had  been  himself  at  sea,  and  took  a  great  interest  in  sailors. 
He  wrote  your  address  on  a  slip  of  paper,  and  handed  it  to  me 
and  gave  me  directions  how  I  could  best  get  there.  I  thanked  him 
kindly  and  went  out :  and  I  felt  that  moment,  that  the  hand  of 
Providence  was  in  the  matter.  I  always  made  the  passage  of 
scripture  which  says  '  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord,  and  he 
will  direct  thy  path,'  my  motto.  I  went  directly  to  your  resi- 
dence,  rang,   and  was  admitted. 

' '  I  believe,  my  dear  brother,  that  the  latch-string  of  your 
house  always  hung  on  the  outside,  that  whosoever  came  might 
enter.  You  may  not  now  remember,  but  I  was  dressed  in  a  blue 
cloth  monkey  jacket  and  trousers.  You  did  not  wait  to  hear  my 
business.  You  took  me  by  the  hand  and  welcomed  me,  and 
made  me  feel  perfectly  at  home  ;  and  before  I  knew  it,  I  was  dis- 
coursing with  you  with  the  confidence  of  an  old  friend.  The 
first  thing  you  inquired  of  me  was,  whether  I  was  a  believer  in 
our  blessed  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  when  you  found  that  I  was, 
you  were  rejoiced,  and  asked  many  questions  concerning  my 
home  and  friends,  and  my  experience.  I  then  told  you  what  I 
wanted,  and  how  I  was  directed  to  you  by  the  gentleman  at  the 
house  of  the  Tract  Society.  You  did  not  like  the  idea  of  my 
giving  up  the  sea.  You  thought  I  might  do  much  good  there, 
and  that  good  Christian  young  men  were  much  wanted  in  our 
merchant  ser\'ice,  etc. 

''  I  told  you  that  I  loved  the  sea,  but  that  I  was  doing  this  for 


204  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  sake  of  duty.  I  told  you  of  my  parents  and  family  in  Ireland, 
and  then  you  became  reconciled.  You  asked  me  where  I  was 
staying.  I  told  you,  and  you  said  I  must  leave  there  at  once  ; 
that  these  were  rum-holes  and  '  sharks-places '  of  the  worst  kind. 
I  then  told  you  that  I  went  there  because  I  had  no  money,  and 
could  do  no  better.  You  put  on  your  hat,  and  said  I  must 
come  and  take  my  things,  and  go  to  the  Sailors'  Home  in  Cheiry 
street.  You  went  with  me,  and  asked  the  landlord  how  much 
my  bill  was  ;  when  he  had  the  effrontery  to  ask  for  a  whole  week 
(or  indeed  I  am  not  sure,  but  for  a  month's  board),  and  I  had 
only  come  there  the  night  before.  You  gave  him  some  plain 
talk,  and  threatened  to  have  his  license  taken  away  ;  then  he 
came  to  terms,  and  let  me  off  with  a  few  dollars,  which  you  had 
the  kindness  to  pay.  I  then  took  my  things,  and  you  went  with 
me  to  the  proprietor  of  the  Sailors'  Home. 

' '  On  leaving  me  you  told  me  to  call  the  next  day  at  your 
residence,  which  I  did,  when  you  kindly  introduced  me  to  your 
lady,  and  showed  me  your  children,  and  spoke  to  me  with  the 
warm-heartedness  of  an  old  and  true  friend.  You  then  sat 
down  and  wrote  me  a  letter  to  Mr.  James  Darrach,  Superintendent 
of  the  New  York  Hospital,  who,  on  the  strength  of  it,  gave  me 
a  place.     I  was  soon  enabled  to  send  help  to  my  parents. 

"Mr.  Darrach,  soon  after,  taking  an  interest  in  me,  I  was 
started  and  helped  to  an  education,  which  I  need  not  detail 
here,  as  you  know  it  well.  Truly,  dear  brother,  we  can  say 
that  '  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  wonderful. '  How  different 
might  have  been  my  life  if  I  had  not  met  you  on  that  day  !  My 
poor  father  died  nearly  eighteen  years  ago,  but  I  have  directed 
and  taken  care,  to  some  extent,  of  all  the  children,  who  are 
themselves  now  grown  up,  and  settled  in  life.  Was  I  not  right, 
dear  brother,  in  calling  you  the  Evangelist  that  heaven  had 
sent  in  my  way  ?" 


CHAPTER  XII. 

INCREASED  SUCCESS— ANSWERS  TO  PRAYERS. 

Extracts  from  diary — Blessed  meeting — Men  weeping  over  sin — Why  will 
ye  die  ? — Immense  audience — Fourteen  prayerless  years — Praise  in  many 
languages  —"  I  want  to  love  Jesus  " — Unexpected  honor  —People  aroused 
— Ten  nationalities  received  into  communion — Time  and  energies  taxed 
— Chinese  sailors— Prayer  in  Burton's  Theatre — Noon  prayer-meeting  in 
five  ships — Outside  addresses— "  In  labors  more  abundant" — Kingdom 
of  God  spreading  on  the  sea — "Bringing  his  sheaves  with  him  " — Burn- 
ing of  the  steamship  Austria— Poly glotts— Literary  labors— Chinese 
prayer -meeting — Prayer  answered — A  lee  shore — Pump  and  pray — In 
deaths  oft — Both  cables  part — Captain  and  wife  swallowed  up — Ship 
dashed  to  pieces — Crew  saved — A  desolate  shore — Arrive  home. 

The  year  1858  opened  auspiciously,  and  gave  us  an 
earnest  of  increased  success.  On  the  last  night  of  1857, 
I  preached  a- sermon  from  i  Samuel  xix.  11  :  "  If  thou 
save  not  thy  Hfe  (Heb.  soul)  to-night,  to-morrow  thou 
shall  be  slain."  I  urged  upon  the  people  the  necessity  of 
immediate  effort  to  secure  salvation.  The  audience  was 
greatly  moved.  Men  and  women,  seamen  and  landsmen, 
were  affected  to  tears.  The  prayer-meeting  held  on  the 
evening  of  New  Year's  day  was  crowded  with  anxious 
souls.  Forty  persons  rose  to  ask  the  prayers  of  the  con- 
gregation, and  expressed  their  purpose  of  living  hereafter 
for  God.  A  vivid  impression  of  the  intense  interest 
manifested,  and  the  reviving  influences  at  work,  may  be 
best  conveyed  by  giving  a   few  brief  extracts  from  my 

265 


266  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

diary,  the  reason  for  which  will  appear  further  on.  In 
giving  these  extracts,  I  am  confronted  witli  the  difficulty 
of  writing  an  autobiography,  without  making  myself  too 
prominent.  ,  I  can  only  say  that  it  is  my  sincere  desire, 
as  much  as  possible,  to  lose  myself  in  my  Master's  work. 
With  this  disclaimer  I  will  quote  : 

'^January  2nd — Prayer-meetings  very  large.  Forty  rose  for 
prayer  again  in  the  evening. 

"  j?'d. — Communion  in  the  afternoon.  Fourteen  received  on 
confession,  two  by  certificate.  Our  membership  has  now  reached 
two  hundred  and  sixty-five.  The  church  densely  packed  in  the 
evening  from  floor  to  gallery — seats  brought  into  the  aisles.  R.ev. 
J.  L.  Wilson,  formerly  missionary  in  Africa,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Cartee,  of  Ningpo,  China,  addressed  the  meeting.  Monthly  con- 
cert truly  grand. 

^'  4th. — More  than  twenty-five  men  called  at  my  office  this 
morning,  some  weeping  over  their  sins,  and  all  making  promise 
of  amendment. 

''5/^. — Large  Temperance  meeting — thirty  persons  signed 
the  pledge. 

"(5//z. — Prayer-meeting  in  my  study  this  forenoon — sixteen 
persons  present,  some  weeping  over  sin,  Attended  five  prayer- 
meetings  this  afternoon  and  evening.  The  Lord  is  among  us,  of 
a  truth. 

* '  ylh.  — Prayer-meeting  in  my  study,  twenty-five  present,  twen- 
ty-two of  them  sailors. 

''  Sih. — Besieged  all  day.      More  than  twenty  called  for  books. 
Prayer-meeting  this  evening,  the  largest  we  have  ever  had.     Room " 
so  packed  as  to  be  uncomfortable.     Every  conceivable  space  oc- 
cupied.     Read  Ezekiel  xxxiii.    Plead  with  them  from  the  words, 
*  Why  will  ye  die .? '     Several  rose  for  prayer,  some  new  cases. 

' '  gth.  — Blessed  news  !  Souls  trembling  with  new-found  joy. 
Converted  Jew — sailors  holding  fast  to  Christ.     Have  great  need  to 


EXTRACTS    FROM    DIARY.  267 

be  humbled  under  such  abundant  success.     Nearly  seventy  sea- 
men present  at  our  prayer-meeting  this  evening. 

' '  loih. — Sabbath.  Preached  this  morning  with  an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One,  from  Mark  xiv.  38  :  '  Watch  and  pray.'  In  the 
afternoon  addressed  Sabbath-school  at  its  anniversar}^  service. 
Urged  the  children  to  lay  their  souls  on  the  altar  of  God,  as  a  liv- 
ing sacrifice,  through  the  Great  High  Priest.  In  the  evening  the 
house  was  crowded  more  than  ever.  Preached  from  Matt,  xviii.  3 : 
*  Except  ye  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall 
not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. '  The  immense  audience 
was  rapt  with  attention.  I  believe  that  souls  were  awakened  by 
that  sermon.      May  God  multiply  their  numbers. 

"  nth. — Twenty-two  persons  at  the  morning  prayer- meeting 
in  my  study.  One,  with  tears,  a  sailor,  expressed  his  sorrow  for 
sin,  and  determination  to  live  henceforth  for  Christ.  Says  he 
made  up  his  mind  a  week  ago,  while  in  our  church.  Another 
said  he  had  not  bowed  his  knees  in  prayer  for  fourteen  years,  until 
this  morning.  Called  from  breakfast  table  before  the  meal  was 
half  finished  ;  could  not  return  until  one  o'clock.  Hardly  time 
to  eat,  and  less  to  sleep. 

"  13th. — Social  meeting  at  my  house,  ninety  persons  present. 

"  14th. — Making  arrangements  for  a  German  prayer-meeting. 
Three  converted  sailors  going  out  in  the  ship  '  Whirlwind, '  to 
Australia,  called  for  a  supply  of  books.  Have  just  heard  that  fifty 
men  of  the  crew  of  the  receiving  ship  North  Carolina  rose  to  ask 
the  prayers  of  God's  people  for  their  salvation. 

"Z5//2. — The  three  converted  men  of  the  'Whirlwind  '  had  a 
pleasing  reception  from  their  shipmates,  who  took  them  by  the 
hand,  congratulating  them  and  expressing  their  gladness  that  they 
were  to  have  a  religious  influence  on  board.      'What  hath  God 

wrought.?'     Men  are  being  awakened  everywhere.     John  M , 

a  sailor,  told  me  to-day,  that  he  was  one  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
who  were  awakened  on  board  the  U.  S.  steamer  '  Independence, ' 
in  1850,  through  the  eftbrts  of  a  pious  boatswain.      He  leaves  in 


268  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

the  'Baltic'  for  Europe  to-day,  and  asks-prayers,  that  he  may  be 
kept  steadfast. 

"  2 2nd.- -Six  days  passed  without  a  single  entry.  Norwegian 
and  Swedish  prayer-meeting,  largely  attended.  What  joy  to 
praise  God  in  many  languages.  Our  eldest  daughter,  five  years 
of  age,  awoke  us  this  morning  sobbing  bitterly,  I  asked  her 
what  was  the  matter }  she  said,  '  O,  1  do  want  to  be  good,  and  love 
Jesus  !  I  want  to  learn  to  read,  so  that  I  can  know  how  to  do 
good.'  'God's  Spirit  is  striving  early  with  the  child.  O  that  we 
may  live  to  see  her  walking  in  the  truth  ! 

"  2_5ih. — Read  an  essay  on  '  the  Unit — or  the  power  of  indi- 
vidual influence, 'before  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of 
New  York,   this  evening,   by  request. 

*'  26th. — Attended  three  prayer-meetings  to-day,  and  lectured 
on  the  'leaven  in  the  meal,'  Luke  xiii.  20,  21.  Large  audience, 
extra  seats  brought  in.  Held  prayer-meeting  half  an  hour  after 
the  lecture,  to  ask  the  blessing  upon  the  word  spoken.  At  the 
close  the  church  members  rose  and  expressed  their  determination 
to  do  more  for  Christ  than  ever. 

*'  2yth. — Verily  God  is  pouring  out  His  spirit  among  us.  Forty 
persons  at  prayer-meeting.  Five  rose  to  ask  prayer.  Six  called 
on  me  about  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  Two  of  these  were 
French,  could  speak  no  English.  Fell  back  on  my  French 
and  urged  them  to  seek  Christ  alone.  Gave  them  tracts  and 
'  Daily  Food, '  in  their  own  language. 

'  "  2Sth. — Men  and  women  at  my  house  all  the  afternoon,  for 
counsel,  asking  '  what  must  we  do. '  Prayed  and  conversed  with 
seven. 

"  2^th. — More  than  forty  at  prayer-meeting  this  forenoon.  In 
the  afternoon  prayed  and  gave  counsel  to  six  persons,  deeply  dis- 
tressed on  account  of  sin. 

^'  joth. — Attended  a  meeting  of  the  male  members  of  the 
church,  passed  resolutions  to  live  more  entirely  for  Christ,  and  to 
be  more  useful.  Twenty  of  them  volunteered  to  go  out,  two  and 
two,   '  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city  to  compel  men  to 


EXTRACTS    FROM    DIARY.  20g 

come  in,  that  God's  house  may  be  filled. '  Visiting  anxious  souls, 
and  praying  from  house  to  house  all  day.  Prayed  with  four  at 
my  own  dwelling. 

''  jisf. — Sabbath.  Prayer-meeting  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  my  study.  Twelve  persons  present.  Reading-room 
full  of  praying  people  at  9  a.  m.  At  10.30,  preached  from  Psalm 
]  23.  Large  and  attentive  audience.  Also  in  the  afternoon  to 
over  two  hundred  children  of  the  church,  from  Prov.  xi.  8,  9  ; 
and  in  the  evening  to  a  very  large  audience  from  Luke  xvi. 
19-31 — Rich    man    and    Lazarus.      Very    attentive    as    usual." 

This  month  of  January  gave  character  to  all  the  rest  of 
the  year.  The  blessed  work  went  joyfully  forward.  The 
people  were  aroused,  their  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
enhanced,  and  their  own  souls  stimulated  to  more  intense 
and  heartfelt  devotion.  At  our  communion  in  February, 
seventeen  persons  were  admitted  to  membership,  among 
whom  were  Chilians,  Danes,  French,  Americans,  English, 
Scotch,  Spaniards.  Manksmen,  Swedes,  and  Channel 
Islanders.  The  audiences  were  very  large  and  attentive, 
and  very  often  moved  to  tears. 

Later  on,  such  entries  as  these  appear,  at  intervals : 

^'■February  i^th  — Correspondence  swallowing  up  my  time. 

''21st. — Preached  three  times  to-day — audience  bathed  in 
tears. 

''26th. — Preached  four  times  to-day,  and  visited  the  U.  S.  re- 
ceiving ship  '  North  Carolina. '  Put  on  board  one  hundred  and 
thirty  volumes,  and  two  hundred  copies  of  the  '  Sea  Bird,'  for  the 
use  of  the  crew, 

"  2Sth. — Visited  the  'North  Carolina.'  Preached  on  board- 
many  weeping. 

'^'  Afarch  yth. — Monthly  concert  of  prayer — a  feast. 

'^ Slh. — Daily  eleven  o'clock  prayer-meeting,  full:  seventy- 
five  or  eighty  persons  present. 


270  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

*'  iith. — Four  Chinese  sailors  called. 

''  i6th. — Took  part  in  noon-day  prayer-meeting  at  Broome 
and  Ridge  and  at  Rutger  Streets.  Bowed  in  prayer  with  two 
pilots  who  wTre  asking  after  more  of  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

"  igth. — Twenty-seven  in  the  inquiry  meeting. 

"  2 1  St. — Many  souls  decided  for  eternity. 

*'  22nd. — Six  new  inquirers.  One  poor  fellow  threw  himself 
down  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  cried  out,  '  O  Lord,  take  me  ! 
take  me  out  of  this  sinful  world. '  .        ' 

'^  2jrd. — Several  new  cases  of  inquiry.  Blessed  tidings  from 
the  sea.  A  vessel  arrived  to-day  reports  that  she  had  spoken  five 
ships  on  the  homeward  passage,  on  board  of  each  of  which,  it 
had  been  determined  to  hold  religious  services  in  concert  daily 
at  twelve  o'clock. 

"  On  the  24lh,   fourteen  were  in  the  inquiry  room. 

^' i^ih. — Delivered  an  address  before  the  Jersey  City  Bible 
Society. 

"  On  the  26th,    thirty  in  the  inquiry  rooms,  eight  new  cases. 

''  On  the  30th,  fifteen  inquirers.  Preached  from  Luke  xvii. 
32:  '  Remember  Lot's  wife. '  Souls  in  agony.  Four  indulging 
in  hope. 

''  jisi. — Precious  meeting  in  a  work  shop  in  White  street  : 
a  whole  family  bowed,  and  in  tears — father,  mother,  children 
and  employees.  Preached  this  evening  from  Isaiah  Ixii.  10  : 
'  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  people. ' 

"  April  4th. — A  high  day.  Preached  this  evening  from  Exodus 
xxxii.  29  :  'Consecrate  yourselves.'  Thirty-four  admitted  to 
church — thirty-one  on  profession.      Monthly  concert — full. 

'' ^th. — No  flagging.  Preached  from  Gal.  iii.  23  :  'Under 
the  Law.' 

'<  ^th. — ^Visited  the  Retreat  and  Widows'  Home,  Staten  Island. 

'"jth. — Preached  in  Stanton  street  church,  from  Gal.  iii.  13  : 
*  Christ  has  redeemed  us.' 

'^  (^th. — Preached  at  the  Retreat  from  2nd  Cor.  v.  i,  at  the 
funeral  of  a  sailor.     At  Stapleton  in  the  evening,  from  Heb.  xi. 


EXTRACTS    FROM    DIARY.  2*]\ 

6:    'Without  faith   it  is  impossible  to  please  God.'     Also  ad- 
dressed Sabbath-school — much  weeping  under  the  sermon. 

''  i8th, — Preached  in  50th  street  Presbyterian  church  from 
Matthew  xviii.  14  :  '  It  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven  that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish, ' 

'' 2jrd. — Preached  at  Broome  street  Presbyterian  church, 
from  Gal.  vi.  14  :   'Glorying  in  the  Cross.' 

^^  Alay   4th. — Visited    public   school    in    Henry  street.     Ad- 
dressed all  departments.     Temperance  address  in  the  evening. 
''  Sth. — Addressed  Baptist  IVIariners'  Society  in  the  evening. 

"■  21st. — Attended  funeral  of  the  second  mate  of  the  ship 
'  Mandarin/  killed,  while  in  the  act  of  brutally  beating  a  sailor. 
Visited  the  slayer  in  the  Tombs  ;  also  visited  the  Retreat  at  Staten 
Island. 

' '  joth.  — Preached  three  sermons  to-day,  and  delivered  address. 
Audience  still  increasing.     Souls  pleading  for  nearness  to  God. 

''June  2?id. — Visited  the  Tombs  twice.  Visitors  and  funerals 
taking  up  too  much  of  my  time. 

''4th. — Several  more  inquirers. 

' '  6th.  — Preached  twice  and  administered  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Conducted  monthly  concert.  Letters  full  of  zeal.  The  writers 
working  among  their  shipmates. 

"  ijth. — Preached  three  times.     Once  at  the  Five  Points. 

"  i6lh. — Overrun  with  callers. 

''  i8th. — Wrote  all  night  until  5  A.M.  Crowded  with  busi- 
ness all  day.      Prayer-meeting  at  night.  : 

''July  1st. — Wrote  until  3.20  A.M.  f 

"8th. — Wrote  till  midnight. 

"  i6th. — A  sailor,  converted  here,  returned  to-day,  bringing 
two  of  his  shipmates,  who  were  led  to  Christ  through  his  efforts 
and  example.      '  Bringing  his  sheaves  with  him. ' 

"22nd. — Visited  the  U.  S.  receiving  ship  '  North  Carolina. ' 
Three  hundred  men  waiting  draft  to  U.  S.  steamer  'Savannah,' 
several  followers  of  Christ  among  them.  Three  or  four  inquirers 
daily,  asking  what  they  must  do  to  be  saved. 


272  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

''Aug.  3rd. — Visited  U.  S.  steamer  'Savannah;'  gave  thirty- 
six  volumes,  and  a  large  supply  of  other  reading  matter.  Twelve 
of  her  crew  are  Christians — five  of  them  Baptists.  One  connected 
with  my  own  church,  and  six  who  have  no  connection  with  the 
Church  visible. 

<' Sih. — House  still  crowded.  Seats  in  the  aisles — no  diminu- 
tion of  interest. 

' '  iSth.  —Dense  crowd  again. 

*'  2  27td. — Enthusiasm  in  the  congregation  on  account  of  the 
sermon  on  allegiance  of  the  sea  to  Christ,  from  Isa.  xlii.  10. 

''  2jrd. — Conversion .  in  the  Tombs.  The  man  who  killed 
the  second  mate  of  the  ship  '  Mandarin.'     '  Behold,  he  prayeth.' 

*'  2^ih. — Made  a  congratulatory  address  to  the  crew  of  the  U. 
S.  steamer  'Niagara,'  in  the  Cooper  Institute,  on  the  successful 
laying  of  the  Atlantic  Cable. 

' '  Sept  17th.  — News  came  to-day  of  a  Portuguese  sailor,  who 
was  converted  in  New  Bedford,  and  has  been  the  means  of  the 
conversion  of  thirteen  of  the  crew  of  the  ship  'Fairfield,'  includ- 
ing the  captain. 

"  Od.  2nd. — A  letter  received  from  the  U.  S.  steamer  *  Savan- 
nah,' asking  prayers  for  the  crew.  States  that  nightly  prayer-meet- 
ings are  held  on  board  of  her  among  the  men. 

'■^  3rd. — Received  sixteen  at  communion  to-day,  thirteen  on 
profession.  Letters  read  at  the  monthly  concert  show  that  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  spreading  on  the  sea. 

' '  jth.  — Captain  D — ,  of  the  ship  '  Paragon, '  told  me  to-day  of 
a  Catholic  priest  in  Spain,  who  visited  him  daily,  and  as  a  result 
became  interested  in  Christ  and  his  salvation.  He  at  once  re- 
ceived tracts  for  distribution  ashore,  and  plead  for  more  that  he 
might  scatter  them  freely  in  the  hospitals, 

"  loth. — Preached  to  boatmen  in  a  tent  at  Jersey  City  this  after- 
noon.    It  was  packed,  and  crowds  outside  could  not  get  in. 

"  iiih. — A  ssa  captain  called,  and  wished  me  to  get  him  a 
crew  of  praying  men.  Another  captain,  to  tell  me  of  his  con- 
version at  sea,  through  reading  th§  life  of  Hedly  Vicars. 


LITERARY    LABORS.  2/3 

''  i6th. — A  man  came  to  me  bursting  with  emotion,  took 
him  to  the  Old  SUp  sailors'  noon-meeting,  and  submitted  his  case. 
Prayed  and  conversed  with  twenty-four  persons. 

"  24th. — House  crowded  to  repletion,  pulpit  stairs  and  chan- 
cel full.  Preached  a  sermon  on  the  burning  of  the  steamship 
'Austria.' — Seats  in  the  aisles. 

'■'■  2gth. — Heard  to-day  of  another  vessel  in  which  the  crew 
hold  daily  service  in  the  forecastle,  at  which  all  hands  were 
present. 

* '  Nov.  14th.  — This  evening  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  was  mani- 
festly present.  The  people  listened  as  for  eternity.  Good  was 
surely  done." 

I  have  thus  far  followed  my  diary  simply  to  connect  the 
events  of  the  past  with  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  great 
work  of  the  century  among  seamen.  During  the  year, 
one  hundred  and  sixty- nine  souls  in  all,  were  added  to 
the  church,  making  a  total  membership  of  four  hundred 
and  thirty- four.  The  number  of  letters  written  was  553. 
Many  of  those  received  from  sailors,  in  reply,  would  do 
credit  to  men  of  greater  pretensions.  They  indicate  an 
amount  of  intellectual  furniture,  in  many  cases,  that  being 
sanctified  must  make  itself  felt  in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  among  the  nations.  In  September  of  this  year, 
among  the  seamen  who  called  at  my  house,  one  group  of 
eight  who  came  in  together,  presented  so  diversified  an 
appearance  that  I  was  curious  to  hear  from  their  own  lips 
what  languages  they  spoke.  I  found  that  they  repre- 
sented five  different  nationalities — Norway,  France,  Italy, 
Portugal  and  England,  and  spoke  twelve  different 
languages,  averaging  over  three  to  each  man.  These 
languages  were  Arabic,  Bengalese,  Danish,  Dutch, 
Eng^lish,  French,  German,  Italian,  Norwegian,  Portu- 
;3 


274  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

guese,  Spanish,  and  Turque.  One  man,  a  member  of  my 
church,  educated  in  the  University  of  Upsala,  in  Sweden, 
spoke  ten  languages,  and  wrote  seven  of  them  grammati- 
cally. Who  can  measure  the  influence  of  such  men,  were 
they  but  brought  under  the  power  of  Divine  grace,  and 
their  varied  acquisitions  laid  at  the  Saviour's  feet.  | 

I  have  great  reason  for  gratitude  to  my  Saviour,  that 
my  duties  as  pastor  have  not  once  been  interfered  with 
by  illness.  I  was  at  intervals  compelled  to  lay  aside  for 
a  day  or  two.  But  this  was  from  sheer  weariness,  rather 
than  from  any  physical  derangements.  In  addition 
to  my  correspondence,  I  wrote  over  twenty  articles  for  the 
press,  two  essays,  one  on  the  "Sea  and  the  Church,"  their 
mutual  relation  and  dependence,  and  one  on  the  '*  Moral 
Power  of  the  Sea,"  together  with  a  voluminous  annual 
report  for  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  number  of 
persons  calling  on  me  to  consult  on  every  conceivable 
subject  during  the  year,  was  nearly  four  thousand.  The 
number  of  volumes  of  all  kinds,  and  the  quantity  of 
religious  newspapers,  tracts  and  periodicals  distributed,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  estimate.  They  went  out  over  the 
sea  by  the  barrel  full,  in  every  possible  direction.  With 
the  rest  of  our  labors,  this  year,  an  effort  was  made  to 
reach  the  many  Chinese  sailors,  whom  legitimate  com- 
merce as  well  as  the  Coolie  trade  had  thrown  upon  our 
shores.  In  some  instances  the  destitute  were  provided 
with  means  and  ships  to  return  to  their  homes.  Nor 
were  their  immortal  interests  disregarded.  A  number 
of  the  strangers  were  gathered,  and  a  Bible  class  formed, 
which  met  in  the  basement  of  our  church,  v/here  they 
were  instructed  in  divine  things  by  Rev.  Dr.  McCartee, 
of  the  presbytery  of  Ning  Po,  China,  who  brought  Jesus 


PRAYER    ANSWERED.  2/5 

and  his  love  to  their  notice  in  their  own  language.  Quite 
a  number  of  them  were  regular  in  their  attendance,  and 
appeared  to  be  interested  in  the  truth.  The  result 
of  this  effort  we  may  learn  hereafter,  when  we  see  as  we 
are  seen,  and  know  as  we  are  known.  Many  incidents 
of  deep  interest  occurred  during  this  exciting  period, 
some  of  which  are  given  below. 

REMARKABLE   DELIVERANCE  IN  ANSWER   TO    PRAYER. 

There  is  an  evident  distrust  in  many  minds  with  regard 
to  special  answers  to  prayer.  Even  among  nominal 
believers  there  is  an  amount  of  scepticism,  which  I 
fear  cuts  the  sinews  of  effort  in  that  direction.  Men, 
in  the  exercise  of  a  voluntary  humility,  refrain  from 
bringing  special  subjects  before  God  in  prayer,  lest  they 
should  be  chargeable  with  presumption.  Is  not  such 
conduct  reprehensible  and  chargeable  to  a  paralysis  of 
faith  ?  Sailors  are  so  conversant  with  the  wonderful  ways 
of  God  on  the  sea,  witness  such  exhibition  of  Divine 
power,  and  are  so  conscious  of  human  helplessness,  that 
they  of  all  men  ought  to  learn  the  lesson  inculcated  by 
our  Saviour,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 
faint.  They  do  sometimes  witness  marked  illustrations 
of  providential  interference  with  the  action  of  the  ele- 
ments when  human  wisdom  is  swallowed  up,  as  in  the 
107th  Psalm,  in  which  it  is  stated,  that  at  the  particu- 
lar juncture,  when  men  are  at  their  wits'  end,  "  Then 
they  cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and  He  bringeth 
them  out  of  their  distresses."  Two  instances  of  such  de- 
liverance are  here  given,  as  they  came  to  me  from  one 
whose  experiences  his  own  pen  records  : 


27(?  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

''Reverend Friend. — I  desire  to  record  the  covenant  goodness 
of  the  Lord,  on  two  distinct  occasions  in  which  I  have  been 
saved  from  shipwreck  and  imminent  death  in  answer  to  prayer. 
One  occurred  last  month.  We  were  coming  on  the  coast,  and 
expected  to  make  the  land  about  2  p.  m.  At  noon  I  felt  very  un- 
easy, believing  that  we  ought  to  be  steering  more  to  the  eastward. 
The  vessel  was  then  making  about  nine  knots,  under  a  press  of 
canvas.  A  heavy  sea  was  running  and  the  snow  falling  so  thick 
and  fast  that  we  could  scarcely  see  a  yard  beyond  our  flying  jib- 
boom.  I  intimated  my  fears  to  the  captain.  It  was  evident,  how- 
ever, that  he  did  not  share  in  them.  I  could  only  commit  our 
case  therefore  to  Him  who  hath  'gathered  the  vdnd  in  his  fists,' 
and  '  measured  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand.'  We  went 
to  dinner,  the  captain  ordering  the  watch  to  keep  a  good  lookout. 
While  we  were  at  the  table,  it  pleased  God  to  show  us  our  dan- 
ger, by  clearing  up  the  atmosphere  for  a  short  time  so  that  we 
could  see  the  land,  which  was  so  close  aboard  that  it  appeared 
to  loom  up  over  our  mastheads.  The  helm  was  put  a  star- 
board, the  yards  braced  up,  and  in  a  few  seconds — for  sailors 
work  sharp  in  time  of  danger — we  were  standing  off  the  land, 
of  which  we  lost  sight  almost  as  quickly  as  it  was  revealed. 

"  This  incident  showed  me  how  faithful  God  is  to  his  gracious 
promise.  I  shall  never  cease  to  thank  Him  for  his  preserving 
care.  Had  not  the  weather  cleared  the  minute  it  did,  no  doubt 
the  ship  would  have  gone  ashore  and  all  hands  been  dashed  to 
pieces  on  the  rocky  coast.  Surely  God  answered  my  prayer  that 
day. 

' '  On  another  occasion,  of  which  I  have  a  ver}^  vivid  recollec- 
tion, and  under  similar  circumstances,  my  prayer  was  answered 
again.  It  had  been  blowing  and  snowing  heavily  for  some  time. 
There  was  a  hea\7  sea  on,  and  toward  the  close  of  the  day  the  wind 
died  away,  to  a  calm.  Just  then  it  cleared  up  and  revealed  to  us 
a  rocky  coast  covered  with  snow,  upon  which  the  breakers  were 
furiously  dashing.  You  may  imagine  my  feelings,  when  I  tell 
you  that  there  were  ten  souls  on  board,  not  one  of  whomi  except 


PRAYER    ANSWERED.  2/7 

myself  had  given  any  indication  of  thsir  belief  even  in  the  exist- 
ence of  such  a  being  as  God.  I  sto^d  on  the  poop  looking  anx- 
iously at  the  iron-bound  lee  shore,  toward  which  each  swelling 
wave  was  driving  us  broadside  on,  to  destruction.  I  instinc- 
tively repeated  to  myself  the  lines  of  a  beautiful  hymn: 

' '  '  Thus  my  heart  the  hope  will  cherish, 
While  to  thee  I  lift  mine  eye, 
Thou  wilt  save  me  ere  I  perish, 
Thou  wilt  hear  the  sailor's  cry.' 

''The  captain  was  apparently  much  alarmed.  His  face  indi- 
cated it.  A  few  days  before  he  had  boasted  that  he  feared  noth- 
ing. But  now  he  had  anguish  in  his  looks  as  he  said  to  me,  *  Sir, 
the  anchors  would  be  of  no  ser\ice,  even  if  we  let  them  go.  The 
rocks  would  bring  her  up  before  the  anchors  would  take  hold.' 
I  hoped  then  that  he  felt  the  need  of  a  Saviour  s  love  to  his  never- 
dying  soul  ! 

''As  nothing  could  be  done  in  the  exigency,  I  went  below,  in- 
tending to  tie  up  my  papers,  and  the  certificate  of  my  church 
membership,  and  bind  them  about  my  body  ;  so  that  if  I  per- 
ished and  was  washed  ashore,  my  friends  might  perhaps  learn 
what  had  become  of  me.  But  before  I  went  to  my  trunk,  I 
bowed  my  knee  in  prayer  to  my  Saviour,  and  asked  him,  if  accord- 
ing to  his  will,  that  he  would  save  our  lives.  I  reminded  him 
that  he  had  heard  my  prayer  before  and  saved  me  and  them  that 
were  with  me ;  and  pleaded  that  he  would  again  interpose  for  his 
own  sake,  and  save  us  from  approaching  death.  I  assure  you  I 
had  faith  in  him  at  that  time.  While  I  was  yet  speaking,  I  heard 
the  captain  calling  to  the  men  to  brace  round  the  yards.  The 
wind  had  come  off  the  land,  and  we  were  saved. 

"The  sceptic  may  call  me  a  fool,  and  tell  me  it  was  all  im.agi- 
nation  ;  but  nothing  on  earth  can  shake  my  belief  that  God  had 
answered  my  prayer.  As  a  further  evidence  of  Divine  interposi- 
tion, I  must  state  that  the  wind  held  on  just  long  enough  for  us 
to  get  a  good  offing,  and  then  chopped  round  again  to  near  its 


2/8  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG    SAILORS.     ' 

former  quarter.  By  making  a  couple  of  tacks  we  reached  our 
port  in  safety.  '  O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  good- 
ness, and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men  !' " 

Still  another  incident,  illustrative  of  this  subject,  was 
given  by  a  seaman,  in  one  of  our  monthly  concerts  of 
prayer.  He  said  he  thanked  God  that  he  had  been  a 
sailor.  He  had  been  in  some  tight  places  at  sea,  but  he 
never  had  hidden  his  religion  nor  lost  his  confidence  in 
God.      Said  he : 

"  We  were  once  driven  to  great  straits.  The  wind  blew  a  per- 
fect hurricane,  our  ship  sprung  a  leak,  and  it  seemed  as  if  we  must 
go  to  the  bottom  in  a  few  minutes.  Our  men  worked  hard  at 
the  pumps.  Th^  water  was  gaining  on  us.  Death  stared  us  in 
the  face.  I  ran  down  below,  and  on  my  knees  asked  Jesus  to  save 
us,  and  to  give  me  a  token.  I  opened  my  Bible  at  Isaiah  xli.  lo. 
These  words  met  my  eyes  :  '  Fear  thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee  ; 
be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God  ;  I  will  strengthen  thee,  yea,  I 
will  help  thee,  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my 
righteousness, '  That  was  enough.  I  ran  on  deck  and  said,  '  Men, 
M^eare  going  somewhere,  but  we  are  not  going  down  !'  I  reported 
to  them,  that  I  had  asked  of  the  Lord,  and  how  he  had  answered 
me.  'Now,'  said  I,  '  men,  pump  and  pray,  and  pray  and  pump!' 
And  they  did  it  with  a  will.  We  pumped  and  prayed  our  vessel 
into  Cork,  as  I  believe,  in  answer  to  prayer  and  promise.  But 
what  is  the  use  of  praying,  with  a  leak  in  the  ship,  unless  we 
pump  also  ?  It  must  ever  be.  Work  and  pray  and  pray  and 
work. " 

That  sailor  is  still  living,  and  is  a  prominent  litterateur 
in  New  York  City. 

''IN   DEATHS    OFT." 

No  men  living  have  more  need  of  salvation  in  Christ 
Jesus,  than  have  the   men  of  the  deep :  yet   it    may  be 


IN    DEATHS    OFT.  279 

said  of  them  in  general,  that  they  think  less  of  their  perils, 
and  exposures,  and  feel  still  less  the  need  of  the  consola- 
tions of  the  Gospel,  than  other  men.  If  it  were  not  for 
the  ravages  of  sin,  for  its  benumbing  and  deadening  pow- 
er over  the  conscience,  its  blinding  effect  on  the  judg- 
micnt  and  the  reason,  and  its  paralyzing  influence  on  the  af- 
fections and  will,  we  might  expect  that  the  very  precaution 
which  is  born  of  the  exigencies  of  their  daily  experience, 
and  their  constant  acquaintance  with  danger  and  death, 
would  drive  them  to  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  for  help. 

But  while  this  general  inconsistency  is  to  be  deplored, 
it  is  a  source  of  consolation  that,  all  are  not  absolutely 
reckless.  There  are  exceptions,  many  notable  exceptions, 
to  this  general  rule.  There  is  a  certain  proportion  among 
them,  who,  when  confronted  with  disaster  and  peril,  find 
their  consolation  in  the  assurance  of  Divine  protection  ; 
whose  faith  leads  them  to  commit  their  way  unto  him, 
who  rules  the  whirlwind,  and  rides  upon  the  storm. 

Instances  of  such  faith,  in  seasons  of  trial,  are  none  the 
less  worthy  of  onr  notice  and  admiration  because  they  are 
comparatively  rare.  They  present  a  cheering  contrast  to 
the  dark  background  of  despair,  which  full  often  confronts 
men  when  they  are  suddenly  brought  face  to  face  with 
disaster  and  death. 

Such  faith  is  illustrated  in  the  narrative  of  a  Swedish 
ship  carpenter,  a  member  of  my  congregation,  who  in  a 
communication  to  me  on  his  return  from  sea,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1859,  says: 

' '  I  had  the  misfortune  to  ship  in  the  ill-fated  '  Colorado, '  of 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  bound  to  the  East  Indies,  laden  with  coal. 
We  reached  our  port  of  destination  after  a  fine  passag-e,  and 
having  discharged  our  cargo,   sailed  for  a  distant  point  on  the 


280  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

coast.  But  one  evening,  being  about  sixteen  miles  off  the  land, 
and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  some  dangerous  shoals,  the 
captain  felt  that  it  would  be  prudent  to  anchor,  and  take  day- 
light for  it,  in  the  morning.  But,  unfortunately  for  us,  as  the 
darkness  deepened,  the  wind  increased,  and  blew  dead  on  shore. 
Toward  morning  it  became  evident  that  one  anchor  would  not 
hold  her  ;  we  therefore  let  go  the  second,  about  four  bells  in  the 
morning  watch,  and  paid  out  the  chain  to  the  bitter  end.  By  this 
time  the  gale  had  increased  in  fury,  and  it  continued  to  blow 
harder  and  harder,  until  it  became  a  perfect  hurricane,  and 
threatened  us  with  destruction  every  moment. 

"  It  was  evident  to  me  that  she  could  not  stand  it  ^'ery  long  ; 
and  being  carpenter  of  the  vship,  I  ventured  to  suggest  to  the 
captain,  that  I  was  afraid  it  would  be  necessary,  as  a  last 
resource,  to  sacrifice  the  masts,  to  save  the  ship.  The  captain, 
thinking  that  the  gale  was  at  its  height,  and  would  soon  begin  to 
moderate,  refused  to  give  the  order  to  cut  away  the  masts.  So 
far  from  moderating,  however,  it  blew  yet  harder  ;  and  by  mid- 
night the  captain's  sad  mistake  was  made  apparent,  by  the  sud- 
den parting  of  both  our  cables.  As  a  necessary  result,  our  good 
ship,  which  a  moment  before,  was  holding  her  own  against  the 
fuiy  of  the  waves,  was  now  driving  rapidly  before  them,  to  the 
place  of  her  destruction.  She  was  abandoned  entirely  to  the 
mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  and  we  began  to  think  ver}-  seri- 
ously for  our  own  safety. 

' '  In  this  hour  of  darkness  and  despair,  I  prayed  earnestly  to 
God,  in  whom  alone  all  my  trust  was  centered,  that  he  would, 
for  Jesus'  sake,  come  to  our  help,  and  rescue  us  from  the  sud- 
den death  that  was  evidently  awaiting  us  unless  he  interposed  for 
our  safety.  After  drifting  shoreward  at  the  sport  of  the  elements, 
about  four  hours,  we  w^ere  startled  by  a  hea\7  crash.  High 
cliffs  \vere  distinguishable  on  either  hand,  through  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  and  gave  unmistakable  evidence  that  w^e  w^ere  on 
an  iron-bound  lee-shore.  It  w^as  apparent,  also,  that  our  ship 
could  not  long  withstand  the  resistless  force  of  the  combined 


CAPTAIN    AND    WIFE    SWALLOWED    UP.  28 1 

action  of  wind  and  sea.  The  breakers  were  sweeping  our  decks 
fore  and  aft.  Yet  I  had  faith  in  God.  I  prayed  for  dayUght, 
which  was  just  dawning,  and  which  I  hoped  might  reveal  to 
us  some  means  of  rehef.  Just  at  this  time  the  captain's  wife, 
who  was  standing  on  the  poop-deck,  was  swept  off  by  an  angry 
wave,  which  was  her  own  and  only  funeral"  escort.  The  captain, 
seeing  his  wife  carried  away,  in  wild  despair  plunged  after  her, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  saving  her.  At  that  moment  a  huge  sea, 
lifting  up  our  devoted  craft,  hove  her  down  on  her  beam  ends, 
and  they  both  disappeared  beneath  the  wreck. 

"It  was  now  daylight.  The  vessel  was  fast  breaking  up, 
grinding  to  pieces  on  the  rocky  bottom.  By  our  united  efforts 
and  skill,  we  succeeded  in  getting  a  line  ashore  by  means  of  a 
buoy,  which  we  rigged  so  that  we  could  propel  it  through  the 
surf  Thus,  the  officers,  and  the  crew,  except  the  captain  and 
his  wife,  were  saved.  Among  the  rescued  was  the  son  of  the 
captain,  a  boy  seven  years  old.  For  three  weeks  we  were  on 
this  inhospitable  coast,  living  on  a  handful  of  rice  a  day  per  man, 
and  a  very  scanty  supply  of  water,  which  we  secured  only  by 
digging  holes  in  the  ground.  I  felt  very  grateful  that  we  had  even 
that.  How  much  worse  our  situation  might  have  been  !  I 
thanked  God  that  we  were  not  left  to  perish  on  a  desolate  shore. 

"  One  day,  while  we  were  meditating  means  of  getting  away, 
our  attention  was  drawn  to  a  small  steamer  standing  up  along  the 
coast.  We  at  once  commenced  signalling  her  by  throwing  our 
arms  about,  as  we  had  nothing  else,  and  finally  succeeded  in  attract- 
ing her  attention.  On  learning  our  situation,  the  captain  kindly 
offered  to  give  us  a  passage  to  Point  de  Galle.  Here  we  gave  our- 
selves up  to  the  American  Consul.  Our  chief-officer  got  away  in 
a  French  ship  for  Calcutta,  and  at  the  expiration  of  ten  days,  our 
Consul  refused  to  support  us  any  longer.  As  a  result  of  his  in- 
human conduct,  we  were  left  without  either  food  or  shelter. 
Through  the  kindness  of  the  British  Consul,  however,  we  were 
cared  for,  and  enabled  to  get  ships  to  take  us  home. 

' '  I  mention  these  facts  to  show  how  God  in  his  mercv  can  and 


282  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

does  save  them  that  put  their  trust  in  him.  I  hope  it  may  be  a 
means  of  encouragement  to  you  to  know  the  facts,  and  that  as  an 
illustration  of  the  power  of  prayer,  as  well  as  the  covenant  faithful- 
ness of  God,  it  may  prove  a  lasting  benefit  to  any  who  hear  it, 
who  have  not  yet  given  themselves  to  God. " 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

SIXTY     YEARS     IN     SIN. 

James  Bisby— Conversion  at  sixty — "Behold  the  Lamb" — Attention 
riveted — Signs  of  penitence — Soul  in  agony  for  him — Such  a  great  sin- 
ner— His  career — Three  times  shipwrecked — Sixty  days  in  an  open  boat 
— An  aggravated  case — The  first  step — Penitent  prayer — Union  with  the 
church — His  experiences — A  curious  forecastle — Missionary  labors  and 
perils — His  narrative  blessed — Entered  into  rest — One  smile  from  Jesus — 
The  last  call-  -A  contrast. 

The  conversion  of  James  Bisby,  a  sailor  nearly  sixty 
years  of  age,  who  had  been  in  positive  and  open  rebellion 
against  God  on  the  sea  for  over  forty-three  years,  took 
place  on  a  Sabbath  evening  in  March.  The  record  of  his 
case,  and  some  of  the  immediate  results,  are  here  append- 
ed. According  to  his  own  account  he  had  spent  the  day 
in  idleness  and  drinking.  After  tea,  he  invited  his  wife  to 
accompany  him  to  one  of  his  familiar  drinking  resorts, 
but  she  positively  refused.  He  then  mentioned  a  place 
of  amusement,  and  urged  her  to  go  with  him  there. 
This  also  she  declined.  Being  annoyed  by  her  unwilling- 
ness, he  said,  "  Well,  will  you  go  to  church  with  me  ?" 
To  this  request  she  cheerfully  assented,  for  it  had  long 
been  the  desire  of  her  heart  to  have  him  spend  his  Sab- 


JAMES    BISBY.  283 

baths  in  the  house  of  God.  She  hastened  to  get  ready^ 
and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  on  their  way  to  our 
Mariners'  church. 

On  reaching  the  house  of  God,  and  finding  the  services 
ah'cady  begun,  they  took  a  seat  near  the  door.  The 
difficulty  of  hearing  at  that  distance  induced  the  old  man 
to  seek  a  place  nearer  the  speaker;  and  being  enough  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor  to  make  him  regardless  of  the 
opinion  of  others,  he  took  his  wife  by  the  arm,  and  made 
his  way  up  the  centre  aisle,  till  he  reached  the  front  seat, 
and  there  "  came  to,"  immediately  opposite  the  pulpit. 
The  long  gray  hair  and  snow-white  bushy  beard  of  the 
old  sailor,  and  his  long  march  up  the  aisle,  drew  my  atten- 
tion, as  it  did  also  that  of  the  congregation,  and  at  once 
created  in  my  mind  an  interest  in  him.  As  soon  as  he 
was  comfortably  seated,  he  leaned  forward,  placed  his  el- 
bows on  his  knees  and  his  head  in  both  hands,  and  fixing 
his  keen  eyes  upon  me,  never  took  them  off  until  the 
sermon  was  ended.  He  was  evidently  interested  ;  his  at- 
tention was  riveted ;  he  felt  the  power  of  truth. 

The  discourse  was  founded  on  John  i.  29  :  "  Beheld 
the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 
As  the  subject  was  unfolded,  and  the  preciousness  of  the 
sin-bearer  was  set  before  the  audience,  I  watched  the 
effect  produced  upon  my  singular  hearer  in  front.  Several 
times  he  manifested  much  emotion.  The  quivering  lip, 
the  falling  tear,  the  bent  and  trembling  form,  all  were 
signs  of  true  penitence.  He  was  evidently  not  aware  of 
being  noticed.  The  emotion  he  manifested  indicated  to 
my  mind,  that  the  spirit  had  wounded  him,  and  he  need- 
ed only  the  touch  of  the  Great  Physician  to  heal  the 
wound.    My  soul  was  in  agony  for  him.     I  knevv'  just  how 


234  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

to  sympathise  with  him,  and  I  longed  to  tell  him  so.  I 
had  passed  through  the  same  experience  when  a  drunken 
sailor.  I  knew  both  his  disease  and  the  remedy,  and 
longed  to  take  him  by  the  hand,  and  lead  him  to  the  feet 
of  Jesus. 

As  soon  as  I  had  pronounced  the  benediction,  I  Imr- 
ried  from  the  pulpit,  and  threading  my  way  through  the 
receding  crowd,  laid  my  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  He 
turned  suddenly  round.  Our  eyes  met;  his  were  red 
with  weeping.  I  grasped  his  hand,  and  said  :  **  Well,  my 
friend,  can  you  look  to  this  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world  ?"  He  answered,  with  much 
emotion,  *'  I  don't  know  sir,  about  that ;  it  is  not  so  easy." 
''But,"  I  inquired,  *Mo  you  desire  to  behold  him  as  your 
Saviour  ?  Are  you  wiUing  to  be  saved  by  him,  to  have 
your  sins  blotted  out  ?"  *'  Ah,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I  wish  I 
could  :  but  I  fear  it  is  too  late;  I  fear  that  Jesus  Christ  will 
not  have  anything  to  do  with  me,  I  am  such  a  great 
sinner." 

As  the  crowd  was  passing  out  of  the  church,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  anxious  to  go,  I  urged  him  to  call  and  see 
me,  on  Monday  morning.  He  promised  to  do  so.  True 
to  his  word,  the  next  morning  the  old  sailor  walked  into 
my  study.  He  seemed  feeble,  and  there  was  something  in 
his  eye  that  did  not  promise  unmixed  comfort.  He  had 
evidently  taken  his  bitters  that  morning.  Had  he  bid 
farewell  to  his  cup  in  a  parting  glass?  We  shall  see. 
Five  seamen  had  just  left  me,  v/ho  had  called  to  inquire 
what  they  must  do  to  be  saved.  They  had  been  awaken- 
ed by  last  night's  sermon,  to  a  sense  of  their  need  of  a 
Saviour.  Turning  to  the  old  weather-beaten  tar,  I  said, 
'^  Well,  sir,  how  is  it  with  you  this  morning  ?     Do  you  still 


SIGNS    OF    PENITENCE.  28$ 

fecx  anxious  about  your  soul  ?  You  are  drawing  near  to 
the  grave,  and  will  soon  step  into  it.     Are  you  prepared  ?" 

He  replied,  *•'  Yes,  sir,  you  are  right.  I  am  nearing  the 
grave,  and  I  fear  I  am  not  prepared  ;  but  what  shall  I  do  ? 
Do  you  think  Christ  will  have  anything  to  do  with 
me  .?"  As  he  asked  this  question,  he  looked  right  into 
my  eye,  with  the  most  intense  earnestness,  as  if  he  felt 
that  everything,  temporal  and  eternal,  depended  upon  the 
answer.  I  said,  *'  Why  do  you  ask  that  question  ?  Is 
there  anything  special  in  your  case  ?"  "  Yes,  sir.  I 
have  been  such  a  great  sinner."  **  But  you  must  remem- 
ber," said  I,  "that  He  is  suc/i  a  great  Saviour.  He  is 
able  and  willing  to  save,  even  to  the  uttermost,  all  who 
come  unto  God  through  Him."  He  replied :  ''  But,  I  am 
afraid  I  have  gone  too  far.  God  has  been  good  to  me, 
and  I  have  treated  him  shamefully.  I  fear  he  will  not 
hear  me."  I  said  :  ''  All  this  may  be  very  true,  and  yet, 
Jesus  bids  you  come  to  him.  Why  then  are  you  afraid 
to  come  ?"  He  replied  :  "  Ah,  sir,  you  don't  know 
how  bad  I  have  been.  I  have  been  at  sea  forty- three 
years,  before  the  mast  and  abaft  it,  and  have  been  in 
many  perils  and  dangers;  yet  out  of  them  all  the  Lord 
has  delivered  me." 

I  then  said  to  him  :  ''  Suppose  you  tell  me  a  little  of 
your  history,  that  I  may  know  what  your  course  has  been, 
and  why  you  think  your  case  is  such  a  special  one  as  to 
shut  you  out  from  the  mercies  of  God  ?" 

In  reply,  he  related  the  following : 

*^I  was  born  in  Brabant,  France,  in  the  year  1801.  At  an 
early  age  I  went  on  the  river,  lightering.  At  eleven  I  was  mer- 
cifully delivered  from  death  by  drovvning  while  letting  the  water 
into  a  dock.     A  boat  hook  in  a  friendly  hand,-  was  the  means  of 


286  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

my  deliverance.  Soon  after  that  I  was  brought  again  near  to 
death  by  shipwreck,  while  carr)^ing  a  cargo  of  timber  for  the  first 
Napoleon.  I  have  been  shipwrecked  three  times.  The  first 
time  when  quite  young,  on  the  North  Sea.  The  vessel  went 
ashore  among  the  breakers.  I  was  washed  overboard  while  get- 
ting a  boat  ready  to  launch.  The  boat's  paddles,  which  I  held 
in  my  hand,  served  to  keep  me  afloat  until  some  men  on  shore 
threw  me  a  line,  and  hauled  me  to  land.  While  in  the  water  and 
expecting  death,  I  called  upon  God,  repeating  a  form  of  prayer 
which  my  mother  had  taught  me,  and  he  was  pleased  to  save  me, 
after  being  some  hours  in  the  water.  At  that  time  only  two  of 
us  were  saved,  out  of  a  crew  of  eleven. 

"Once  in  the  South  Sea,  while  belonging  to  an  American 
whale  ship,  I  was  one  of  a  boat's  crew  of  seven  who  took  the  boat 
with  a  week's  provisions,  and  deserted  the  ship.  We  were  sixty 
days  in  that  open  boat,  and  during  the  last  twenty-six  days  of 
that  time,  not  one  of  us  had  a  drop  of  water  to  quench  our  thirst. 
After  our  provisions  were  exhausted,  we  lived  on  penguins  and 
seals,  drinking  their  blood  to  assuage  our  thirst. 

"At  another  time  I  was  cast  away  off  Barnegat,  and  out  of 
thirty  one  souls,  crew  and  passengers,  only  four  of  us  were  saved. 
I  was  picked  up  among  the  breakers,  almost  dead,  after 
knocking  about  nearly  three  hours  on  the  bottom  of  a  boat. 
During  all  that  time  I  prayed  most  fervently  to  God  for  deliver, 
ance,  and  he  was  pleased  to  hear  my  prayer.  I  have  fallen  over- 
board nine  times,  and  have  been  often  at  death's  door  in  various 
engagements,  and  other  exposures,  from  all  of  which  the  good 
Lord  delivered  me.  But  what  kills  me  is,  that,  after  God  had 
heard  my  prayers  and  promises,  I  should  turn  round  and  curse 
him,  as  soon  as  I  got  dry  clothes  on. " 

When  he  had  finished  his  recital,  I  said,  "  Sir,  your  case 
is  a  very  aggravated  one.  You  deserve  to  suffer  for  your 
sins,  but  the  Lord — who  bore  our  sins — is  rich  in  mercy 
to   all  who  call  upon  him,   and  promises  to  save  even 


SUCH    A    GREAT    SINNER.  287 

the  chief  of  sinners.  Are  you  willing  to  give  up  all  for 
Him,  and  repent  of  all  your  sins  ?"  To  this  he  replied, 
**  I  am;  and  I  do  most  sincerely  repent,  and  am  heartily 
sorry  for  all  my  transgressions."  "  But,"  said  I,  "  you 
must  not  only  repent ;  you  must  forsake  every  sin.  You 
have  been  a  drinking  man.  Are  you  willing  to  give  up 
rum  and  sign  the  pledge  ?"  "  I  don't  know  about  that," 
he  answered,  hesitatingly.  ''  The  doctors  say  it  is  as  dan- 
gerous to  knock  off  all  at  once,  as  it  is  to  continue 
to  drink.  I  will  sign  the  pledge,  if  you  will  only  let  me 
taper  off."  "  No  sir,"  said  I,  *'  you  must  quit  at  once, 
and  forever.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  great  Physician,  and  He 
requires  you  to  avoid  the  very  appearance  of  evil. 
Secure  his  favor  first,  take  him  for  your  friend.  Are  you 
willing  to  cast  overboard  everything  that  offends  him  ? 
to  give  up  drinking,  and  every  other  sin  ?"  He  promptly 
replied,  with  great  firmness,  "  I  will,  sir,  if  I  die  by  it !" 
and  accompanied  the  promise  by  a  heavy  stroke  of  his 
stick  on  the  floor,  the  concussion  corresponding  in  time 
with  the  word  *'  die,"  which  he  so  emphatically  uttered. 

I  said  to  him,  "  Well  done  !  that  is  a  good  decision,  and 
one  which  you  will  never  regret.  Now  let  ,us  ask  God 
to  give  you  strength  to  perform  that  vow,  for  you  can  do 
nothing  without  him."  He  consented,  and  together  we 
bowed,  and  offered  up  our  hearts  to  that  gracious  God 
who  hears  and  ansv/ers  prayer.  To  my  surprise,  when  I 
had  closed,  instead  of  rising  from  his  knees,  that  hoary- 
headed  sinner  prayed  fervently,  and  wept  over  his  sins, 
crying,  *' God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  The  inter- 
view lasted  fully  an  hour,  and  when  he  left  it  was  with 
a  firm  determination  to  live  no  longer  in  sin,  but  to  serve 
the  Lord  all  the  days  of  his  life. 


288  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  he  was  present,  and  rose  to 
ask  the  prayers  of  the  people  of  God.  Those  prayers 
were  heard ;  through  grace  he  obtained  the  victory, 
though  only  after  a  severe  struggle  over  his  appetite  for 
strong  drink  ;  and  from  that  time  he  learned  to  walk 
humbly  before  God.  Three  months  after,  he  was 
received  into  membership  with  the  church,  upon  a  pro- 
fession of  his  faith  in  Christ,  and  took  his  seat  with  God's 
people  at  the  communion. 

Years  have  passed  since  that  old  man's  heart  was 
touched  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  He  seemed  to  grow 
younger,  and  more  vigorous  and  active  in  the  service  of 
the  Lord,  continuing  to  be  a  devout  and  humble  follower 
of  Christ,  spending  and  being  spent  in  his  service.  Nor 
was  there  ever  a  more  attentive  hearer  and  doer  of  the 
Word  in  the  congregation  than  that  hoary-headed,  white- 
bearded  man  of  the  sea.  When  speaking  to  others  of 
the  mercy  of  God  in  his  behalf,  in  delivering  him  from 
the  bonds  of  satan,  which  he  often  did,  he  attributed 
his  great  change,  so  far  as  human  agency  was  concerned, 
to  two  things.  First,  the  gentle  touch  on  his  shoulder, 
and  the  kind  words  of  invitation  addressed  to  him  while 
his  heart  was  tender,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  he 
needed  sympathy  and  direction.  Secondly,  to  the  visits 
of  our  church  missionary,  Mr.  Gardner,  who,  as  he  said, 
followed  him  up,  and  came  to  his  house  to  comfort  and 
encourage  him,  while  he  was  passing  through  the  terrific 
struggle,  which  resulted  in  his  conquest  over  his  passion 
for  strong  drink.  He  said,  if  the  missionary  had  not  fol- 
lowed him  as  he  did,  he  would  have  been  discouraged ; 
but  his  visits  and  prayers  gave  him  strength  to  resist  the 
temptation  of  satan,  and  gave  him  confidence  in  Christ  in 


HIS    CAREER.  289 

the    same    proportion    in    which    he    lost   confidence  in 
himself. 

Once,  in  an  experience  meeting,  he  was  heard  to  say  : 

"■  I  was  a  veiT  wicked  man  ;  I  sometimes  think,  the  most  wick- 
ed man  in  the  world,  until  last  jMarch  a  twelvemonth,  when  I 
went  to  church  with  my  wife,  and  every  word  ]Mr.  Jones  said, 
went  to  my  heart.  The  pastor  wanted  me  to  call  upon  him,  but 
I  said,  you  cannot  do  anything  for  me.  I  have  committed  every 
sin  but  murder,  and  I  would  have  done  that  too,  only  I  am  too 
great  a  coward.  When  I  was  fighting  old  alcohol  the  devil  was 
with  me,  and  he  shook  me  so  that  my  poor  wife  thought  he 
was  shaking  me  to  pieces.  Now,  I  can  lie  down  without  hav- 
ing blue  devils  around  me.  I  have  angels  around  me  now,  and  I 
advise  any  one  present  who  is  out  of  the  ark  of  safety,  to  take  my 
counsel  and  do  as  I  did." 

On  another  public  occasion  he  said: 

' '  Before  I  became  a  Christian,  I  had  no  friends,  I  had  no 
clothes,  I  had  no  character.  Now  look  at  me  !  I  have  friends,  I 
have  clothes,  and  thank  God,  by  his  grace  I  have  now  a  good  char- 
acter. I  once  tried  to  join  the  Odd  Fellows,  but  they  appointed  a 
committee  to  inquire  into  my  character,  and  finding  I  was  a  poor 
drunkard,  they  rejected  me.  I  then  tried  the  Free  Masons. 
They  too,  inquired  into  my  character,  and  blackballed  me  ;  but 
when  I  went  to  Jesus,  he  took  me  just  as  I  was.  He  did  not 
ask  my  neighbor^  what  they  thought  of  me,  or  who  I  was,  or 
hovv'  I  lived,  but  he  came  to  me  and  said,  '  Bisby,  give  me 
your  old  heart,  give  it  to  me  just  as  it  is ;'  and  I  said,  '  Here, 
Lord,  take  it  ;  and  take  me  too,  body  and  soul,  and  keep  me, 
for  1  cannot  keep  myself  And  my  friends,  he  did  take  me. 
He  washed  me  from  my  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  now  he  is 
my  friend.  If  they  who  had  been  the  friends  of  former  years, 
saw  me  in  the  Street,  they  would  take  good  care  to  pass  by  on  the 
other  side  ;  but  now,  if  a  gentleman  sees  me  he  takes  me  by  the 
19 


290  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

hand,  and  says,  'How  do  you  do,  Bisby?  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  !  How  well  you  look/  Yes,  friends,  why  should  I  not 
look  well  ?  I  am  in  want  of  nothing  ;  Jesus  provides  everything 
for  me,  and  I  have  a  contented  mind,  which  is  a  continual  feast. 
Why,  my  poor  wife  prayed  for  me  for  fifteen  years,  and  while  I 
was  a  drunkard,  she  was  as  thin  as  a  pickled  herring  ;  now  she  is 
as  buxom  and  happy  a  woman  as  you  can  find.  My  home ' 
then  was  uncomfortable  and  miserable  ;  now  it  is  the  happiest 
place  on  earth.  Even  my  canary  bird  greets  me  with  a  song 
when  I  come  home.  Now,  my  friends,  you  see  how  much  tem- 
perance and  religion  have  done  for  me.  All  this  arises  from  sign- 
ing the  pledge  and  keeping  it,  by  the  grace  of  God.  Go  thou 
and  do  likewise  !" 

Three  years  subsequent  to  his  conversion,  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  watchman  on  board  a  barque  which  had  lately 
returned  from  Africa.  Her  chief-officer  and  several  of 
her  crew  were  members  of  my  church.  During  the  voy- 
age they  had  displayed  their  reverence  for  the  word  of 
God  by  making,  in  different  parts  of  the  vessel,  perma- 
nent records  of  its  controlling  influence  over  their  minds. 
Mr.  J.  S.  Pierson,  of  the  New  York  Bible  Society,  went 
on  board  the  barque  w^ith  a  view  to  supplying  her  with 
the  Scriptures.  Bisby,  learning  his  errand,  and  knowing 
that  he  would  be  interested,  said,  ''  Step  this  way,  sir ! 
and  I  will  show  you  something  you  never  saw  before."  I 
give  the  interview  in  Mr.  Pierson's  owm  words.  He 
says : 

"I  followed  him  to  the  forecastle,  which  in  this  case  occupied 
the  forward  part  of  the  house  on  deck,  and  sav/,  what  brought 
forcibly  to  mind  the  prophet's  vision  of  the  latter  days,  when 
*  Holiness  to  the  Lord,'  is  to  be  written  on  the  bells  of  the 
horses  ;  a  text,  by  the  way,  which  may  be  legitimately  extended 
m  its  application  to  ships,  which  are  the  burden-bearers  of  com- 


THE    FIRST    STEP.  29 1 

merce  on  the  ocean,  as  much  as  were,  in  those  days,  the  long 
Hnes  of  mules  and  horses,  each  with  its  tinkling  bells,  upon  the 
land.  Every  available  space  on  the  beams  and  walls  was  covered 
with  scripture  texts,  beautifully  painted  in  large  black  letters  on 
the  white  surface.  Over  the  door,  on  one  side,  was  the  text 
from  John  vi,  -^"j  :  '  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out ;'  and  above  the  opposite  door,  from  John  xvi,  ^^  :  *  In 
the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  I  have 
overcome  the  world.'  At  the  head  of  one  berth  were  painted 
the  lines  of  the  hymn  : 

' '  I  have  an  advocate  above, 
A  friend  before  the  throne  of  love  ;" 

and  near  another,  in  such  a  position  as  to  be  brought  before  the 
eyes  of  a  person  lying  down,  '  I  will  lay  me  down  and  sleep,  for 
thou.  Lord,  only  makest  me  to  dwell  in  safety.'  Ps.  iv.  8. 
While  on  every  side,  stood  out  such  texts  as  these  :  '  Let  us  run 
with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus, 
the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith; '  Heb.  xii.  i,  2.  '  He  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood;  '  Rev.  i.  5. 
'  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,' 
]\Iatt,  xxviii.  20.  '  Pray  without  ceasing  ; '  i  Thess.  v.  17.  '  His 
mercy  endureth  forever  ;'  Psalm  cvi.  i.  'Men  ought  always  to 
pray  and  not  to  faint ;'  Luke  xviii.  i.  'This  is  a  faithful  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners  ;'  ist  Tim.  i.  15.  '  For  God  so  loved  tl.3 
world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believ-i 
eth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  ;'  John 
iii.  16.  '  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God  ;'  Amos  iv.  12.  'It  is  the 
work, '  he  explained,  '  of  three  of  our  men.  An  Englishman 
Irishman  and  a  Dutchman  ;  members  of  the  Rev.  jNIr.  Jones' 
church,  who  belonged  to  the  crew. ' 

"  So  it  is  with  sailors,  v/hen  they  are  converted;  they  hoist 
their  colors.  When  they  are  born  again,  they  are  not  born  with 
their  mouths  shut.     That  is  the  way    it  was  with  me,  when  Mr. 


292  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

Jones  laid  his  grappling  irons  on  me,  three  years  ago,  thank 
God  ;  I  had  been  a  wicked  sailor  for  forty- three  years,  and  at  that 
time  had  been  on  a  bust  for  nearly  five  weeks.  I  don't  suppose 
I  ate  a  sixpence  worth  of  victuals  during  all  that  time.  I  was 
pretty  near  the  end  of  the  tether,  and  might  have  made  away  with 
myself  at  any  moment. 

"One  Sunday  evening  I  found  myself  seated  in  Mr.  Jones' 
church,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  saw  right  into  me,  for  he  told  me 
all  that  I  was  thinking  about.  Every  word  of  his  sermon  just 
suited  me  ;  and  then,  the  next  day,  he  didn't  leave  me  to  myself, 
but  made  one  of  his  missionaries  visit  me  every  day.  Ah,  sir, 
I  was  a  hard  nut  !  I  can't  help  thinking  now,  how  different  it 
might  have  been  with  me  if  I  had  heard  all  this  twenty  years  ago  ; 
for,  about  that  time,  I  met  with  tracts,  and  liked  them  so,  that 
I  gave  a  dollar  to  the  man  who  brought  them  round  ;  and  a  gen- 
tleman gave  me  a  Bible  in  my  own  lingo.  I  do  suppose  that  if 
anybody  had  talked  with  me  then,  the  devil  would  have  had  to 
leave  me.  Now  I  love  to  see  men  come  around  on  such  errands 
as  yours.  I  often  read  a  tract  aloud  myself  to  those  rough  fel- 
lows on  the  Batter}',   and  I  tell  you,  they  listen  and  like  them." 

He  was  subsequently  employed  by  the  Port  Society  in 
missionary  work  in  the  Fourth  Ward  of  this  city,  where 
his  past  experience  was  of  incalculable  value.  He  had 
charge  of  the  Mission  on  the  corner  of  Dover  and  Water 
Streets.  There,  day  by  day,  including  the  Sabbath,  he 
might  be  seen  at  the  door,  looking  out  for  the  passers-by. 
His  cheery  face,  and  long  white  beard  was  an  object  of 
interest  to  the  good,  but  a  terror  to  the  evil  doer.  He 
was  so  effective,  and  so  blest  in  his  work,  that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  closing  up  several  rum-holes  and  in  rescuing 
many  of  the  poor  magdalens  of  the  neighborhood.  He 
was  as  fearless  as  he  was  faithful.  A  pistol  ball  aimed  at 
his  head  and  imbedded  in  the  door-post  at  his  side,  was 


MISSIOXARV    LABORS   AND    PERILS.  293 

allowed  to  remain,  as  an  evidence  of  providential  care 
over  his  life.  He  believed  that  he  was  immortal  till  his 
work  was  done.  So  nailing  his  colors  to  the  mast,  he 
continued  until  the  Master  called  him  home. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  character  of  his    piety,    the 
irength  of  his  convictions  and  the  decision  and  prompt- 
ness with  which  he  followed  them,  I  quote  again  from  his 
own  lips  : 

"On  the  nth  of  April,  1864,  I  was  appointed  to  take  charge 
of  the  Water  Street  Mission.  It  was  then  veiy  cold,  and  I  sat  by 
the  fire  and  smoked  freely.  Looking  round  I  saw  the  room  was 
full  of  smoke.  I  then  said  to  myself,  this  looks  more  like  a  por- 
ter-house than  the  house  of  God.  I  will  smoke  here  no  more, 
but  wait  until  I  go  home.  I  then  went  as  usual  behind  the  desk, 
to  thank  God  for  having  spared  me  that  morning.  I  did  so  for 
three  days.  On  the  fourth  day,  at  noon,  I  went  again  behind 
the  desk  to  thank  God  my  Heavenly  Father  for  his  mercy  in  spar- 
ing me  up  to  that  time.  The  devil  came  in  and  said,  '  Bisby, 
pray  quick,  and  go  home  and  have  a  good  smoke.'  Said  J, '  Now 
Mr.  devil,  I've  got  ye  !'  I  looked  heavenward  and  asked,  earnest- 
ly, '  O  God,  please  to  banish  the  appetite  for  tobacco  away  from 
me.  I  know,  O  Lord,  thou  canst  do  it  if  thou  wilt ; '  and  it  was 
done.  I  then  went  home,  and  taking  the  pipe  from  the  mantle, 
showed  it  to  my  wife,  saying,  '  Do  you  see  that  ? '  I  then  raised 
the  window  and  threw  the  pipe  into  the  street.  That  was  the  last 
of  it.  I  then  destroyed  the  jar  and  the  tobacco.  From  that  day 
i  saved  my  tobacco  money  till  it  amounted  to  twelve  dollars.  I 
bought  a  library  with  the  money,  and  sent  it  to  sea.  On  the 
fourth  voyage  it  was  the  means  of  converting  the  captain,  and 
awakening  the  whole  ship's  company.  The  books  are  still  at 
sea. " 

I  may  add  that  a  brief  account  of  Bisby's  conversion, 
which   I  wrote,   was  published  some  years  ago  by    the 


294  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

American  Tract  Society,  under  the  title  of  '*  Sixty  Years 
in  Sin."  He  distributed  hundreds  of  copies  of  it,  in  every 
direction,  and  received  many  letters,  attesting  its  useful- 
ness.     I  subjoin  one  of  these,  as  a  sample  of  the  rest : 

''Brother  Bishy — I  am  glad  I  can  call  you  Brother  in  Christ. 
Once  I  knew  you  to  be  a  drunken  sailor,  and  a  blasphemer.  But 
blessed  be  God,  that  He  sent  his  beloved  Son  into  the  world  to 
save  a  sinner  like  you.  I  praise  God  that  he  has  given  you  the 
privilege  to  tell  the  world  what  a  blessed  Saviour  you  have  found. 
I  received  your  litdebook,  called  'Sixty  Years  in  Sin,'  which  you 
sent  me.  After  reading  it,  I  gave  it  to  a  friend,  who  loaned  it 
to  others.  Through  the  grace  of  God,  it  has  been  the  means 
of  the  conversion  of  a  mother  of  a  large  family,  who  had  lost 
all  respect  for  herself;  so  much  so,  that  she  would  go 
out  and  drink  at  a  public  bar,  and  even  sell  her  garments 
to  get  rum.  After  reading  your  book,  she  called  to  see  me, 
and  said,  if  she  could  see  the  original  of  that  book,  she 
would  believe  it.  I  told  her  I  could  show  her  your  pic- 
ture, which  I  had.  After  looking  at  it  for  some  time,  she 
said, '  If  it  were  possible  for  such  a  sinner  to  be  converted,  it  is 
not  too  late  for  me  to  commence.'  And  she  did  commence  that 
very  night.  Through  Divine  strength  she  has  so  far  resisted  the 
temptation.  Knowing  that  the  prayers  of  those  who  ask  never  go 
unanswered,  and  hoping  that  you  will  go  on  in  your  good  work, 
*' I  remain,  in  haste,  A.   N.   M." 

Oh,  how  merciful  is  our  Heavenly  Father !  Surely  this 
narrative  illustrates  and  corroborates  the  word  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  Paul  to  Timothy:  "It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners — even  the  chief" 

Again,  how  sovereign  are  His  mercies,  how  absolutely 
independent  of  human  purpose,  yet  not  independent  of 
human  agency,  for,  **  He  sendeth  by  whom  he  will  send," 


ONE    SMILE    FROM   JESUS.  295 

"  He  will  have  mercy  upon  whom  he  will  have  mercy." 
This  dear  old  man  of  the  sea  for  four  years  and  a  half  stood 
at  his  post,  a  faithful  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  as  a  re- 
sult of  his  persevering  eftbrt,  many  a  sailor  and  many  an 
outcast  of  earth  rejoices  to-day  in  heaven,  that  Bisby  wa3 
born  again.  After  a  painful  illness  of  only  a  few  weeks, 
he  entered  into  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  all  the  people 
of  God,  on  the  6th  of  September,  1868,  in  the  sixty-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  ''Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the 
Lord.  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

ONE    SMILE    FROM   JESUS. 

Here  is  another  trophy  of  grace.  A  young  man  who 
was  invited  by  the  missionary  to  attend  divine  service, 
came — heard — and  was  conquered.  He  subsequently 
wrote  to  me  from  Boston,  saying: 

"  When  I  first  saw  you  I  loved  you  !  How  strange,  that  I,  who 
was  then  so  very  wicked,  should  love  a  godly  man  !  You,  dear  sir, 
an  ambassador  of  God,  first  alarmed  me  with  your  living  volume  of 
sacred  truth,  recording  the  death  and  resurrection  of  the  blessed 
Saviour.  I,  who  have  been  denied  a  home  from  childhood, 
through  a  wicked  step-mother,  who  had  been  kicked  and  cuffed 
through  the  world,  and  robbed  by  soul-deslroying  rumsellers,  re- 
ceived from  you  the  first  warning.  You  told  me  that  I  had  a  soul 
to  be  saved — that  there  is  a  God — just,  but  merciful.  The  world 
called  me  clever,  but  it  was  my  wickedness.  My  friends  in  sin 
do  not  smile  on  me  now,  but  what  care  I  ?  I  would  rather  have 
one  smile  from  Jesus,  than  all  the  smiles  of  mortal  man.  Pray, 
sir,  that  I  may  be  strengthened  in  my  faith.  May  the  good  God 
bless  your  efforts.  Rest  assured  I  am  happy,  and  you  have  been 
the  instrument. 


2g6  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

"  Adieu,  dear  sir  !  That  eternal  blessedness  may  be  yours,  is 
the  prayer  of  your  friend. " 

In  our  Monday  evening  prayer-meeting,  for  Swedes, 
Danes,  Norwegians  and  Finns,  conducted  at  this  time  by 
Ola  Helland,  fifty-one  Scandinavians  were  hopefully 
converted,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine,  who  went 
to  sea  before  the  work  of  divine  grace  culminated  in  their 
hearts,  left  us  with  the  full  purpose  to  seek  until  they 
found  Christ  precious  to  their  souls. 

THE    LAST    CALL. 

A  German  sailor  was  converted  on  board  the  U.  S. 
steamer  *  Wabash,'  in  the  early  part  of  the  war,  and 
maintained  the  honor  of  his  Divine  Master  on  her  berth- 
deck  for  the  space  of  two  full  years.  During  all  this  time, 
such  was  his  faithfulness,  that  he  obtained  the  confidence 
of  his  brethren  in  the  Lord,  and  by  their  suffrages  became 
the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  religious  services,  which 
v/ere  held  on  board.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
enlistment,  he  was  paid  off,  came  on  to  New  York,  united 
wdth  my  church,  and  was  subsequently  employed  by  the 
Port  Society,  to  labor  as  a  missionary  along  the  wharves 
and  on  board  the  vessels  in  port. 

In  one  of  his  visits,  in  the  pursuit  of  his  tract  distribu- 
tion, he  boarded   the    ship   B ,  lying  at  the  foot  of 

Dover  street.  East  river,  where  the  following  incident 
occurred,  which  he  communicated  to  me.  I  record  it 
here,  because  it  illustrates  so  fully  and  remarkably  the 
teachings  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  xxix.  I  :  "  He  that  is 
often  reproved  and  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be 
destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy." 

He  offered  some  of  his  tracts  to  the  foremast  men, 


THE    LAST    CALL.  297 

who  unhesitatingly  and  gratefully  received  them.  While 
he  was  speaking  with  them  of  their  soul's  eternal  interests, 
the  mate  came  forward,  and  he  offered  one  to  him  also. 
But  he  refused  it,  at  the  same  time  giving  utterance  to 
horrible  and  blasphemous  words,  too  filthy  to  be  repeated. 
The  missionary  said  to  him  kindly,  "  What  would  you  do, 
sir,  if  God  should  answer  that  prayer  of  yours,  and  send 
you  to  hell  ?"  He  replied, ''  I  do  not  believe  in  hell ;  all 
the  hell  there  is,  is  upon  earth."  "  If  this  is  your  belief, 
my  friend,"  responded  our  brother,  "  you  must  deny 
the  word  of  God,  for  it  is  written,  *'  The  wicked  shall 
be  turned  into  hell."  He  still  persisted  in  his  unwilling- 
ness to  believe  either  in  a  hell  or  the  word  v/hich  declared 
it,  and  added  :  '*  All  you  religious  people  are  hypo- 
crites." 

The  missionary  replied,  "  I  will  admit,  with  sorrow,  tliat 
some,  who  profess  to  be  religious,  are  hypocrites.  But 
I  hardly  expected  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  a  man  of  your 
age  and  experience,  and  apparent  intelligence,  such  wicked 
assertions  as  you   have   made."     He  replied,    ''  You  are 

all  a  d d  set  of  hypocrites,  anyhow."     I  answered, 

"  I  do  not  think  it  best  to  discuss  these  matters,  but  I  must 
say  that  all  truths  have  their  counterfeits.  If  there  was 
no  true  religion,  there  would  be  none  to  imitate  it.  Men 
do  not  counterfeit  that  which  is  valueless.  On  that  prin- 
ciple, therefore,  if  there  are  hypocritical  professors,  there 
must  also  be  true  professors.  If  there  was  no  genuine 
money  there  would  be  no  counterfeits.  This  I  believe  is 
an  admitted  fact." 

Unwilling  to  accept  my  argument,  and  unable  to  refute 
it,  he  changed  the  conversation,  with  an  oath,  and  I  left 
him,  saying,  as  I  did  so,  ''  I  hope  you  will  not  learn  the 


298  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

truth  about  the  existence  of  a  hell,  to  your  sorrow,  and 
when  it  is  too  late.  But  I  will  pray  for  you."  Two  days 
after  this  incident,  I  went  to  the  Water  street  Mission, 
intending  to  make  this  mate  a  subject  of  prayer.  But 
judge  of  my  astonishment !     I  was  told  that  the  mate  of 

the  B was  numbered   with  the   dead,  for  whom  we 

are  forbidden  to  pray.  I  learned,  that  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  day  on  which  I  had  conversed  with  him,  he 
having  imbibed  freely  of  strong  drink,  went  on  board  the 
ship,  and  laid  himself  down  on  the  stage,  to  sleep.  That 
was  about  ten  o'clock. 

At  three  A.  M.  he  arose,  intending  to  go  to  his  room, 
but  on  crossing  the  after-hatch,  over  which  a  tarpaulin 
only  had  been  carelessly  thrown,  he,  supposing  the  hatch 
to  be  safely  covered,  stepped  upon  it.  Fatal  step  !  The 
tarpauHn  gave  way  under  his  weight,  and  he  was  precip- 
itated into  the  after-hold.  He  seemed  to  have  struck  his 
forehead  on  the  upper  corner  of  the  kelson,  as  the  entire 
flesh  of  his  face,  from  above  the  eyes,  was  torn  off,  and 
folded  back  upon  his  chest.  He  was  picked  up  and 
sent  to  the  hospital.  He  lived  but  a  short  time,  and 
then  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  Great  Judge, 
who  rewards  every  man  according  to  his  deeds,  whether 
they  be  good  or  evil.  His  last  words  were,  *'  I  am  a 
dead  man !"  Poor  fellow  !  He  was  unexpectedly  sum- 
moned to  render  up  the  account  of  all  his  wickedness, 
before  Him  whom  he  had  blasphemed.  But  not  without 
a  friendly  warning.  ''  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  living  God  !"  Such  warnings  speak  to 
us  in  thunder  tones,  saying  to  each  one,  '*  Be  ye  also 
ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of 
Man  shall  come." 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

GREAT   REVIVAL   IN   THE   NAVY. 

The  faithful  Swede — Early  life— Praying  mother— United  States  navy 
— Sailors'  Home — Sense  of  sin — Despair — The  cleansing  blood — Church 
life— U.  S.  steamer  Ohio— Remarkable  Providence — U.  S.  steamer  North 
Carolina — What  means  this  ? — Prayer-meeting— Wild  scene — The  storm 
— A  calm — Soul-sorrow— Fear  of  man  gone — My  diary — U.  S.  steamer 
Wabash— Early  efforts  —Chaplain  Chase — Blessed  awakening — Twenty 
seamen  unite  with  the  church — More  converts — Lord's  Supper — Strange 
contrast — Truth  gaining  headway — Notices  of  the  press — Chaplain 
Stockbridge — Indescribable  solemnity — Interest  intensified — A  remarka- 
ble meeting— "  He  saved  me" — Done  serving  the  devil — Tried  to  be 
an  infidel — My  dying  mother's  hand  in  the  dark— Happy  in  him — Cove- 
nant faithfulness — A  captain's  experience — *'  The  last  time." 

The  crowning  success  of  this  year  was  the  establishing 
of  a  prayer-meeting  on  board  the  U.  S.  receiving  ship 
North  CaroHna,  from  which  resulted  a  very  gracious 
and  extensive  revival  of  religion  among  the  officers  and 
men  of  our  navy.  The  remarkable  feature  of  this  blessed 
work  was,  that  it  originated  among  the  foremast  men.  A 
member  of  our  Mariners'  church,  and  three  others,  were 
the  honored  instruments,  in  the  hand  of  God,  of  initiat- 
ing the  movement. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1858,  a  Swedish  sailor,  a  man- 
of-war's  man,  aged  forty-seven,  united  with  our  church  on 
a  confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ.  He  was  a  well-pro- 
portioned man,  fully  six  feet  in  height,  with  a  benevolent 

299 


300  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

countenance,  a  clear  blue  eye  and  a  kindly  expression. 
We  were  all  delighted  with  his  genial,  social  qualities. 
He  was  much  in  my  family,  with  my  wife  and  children, 
aud  though  we  all  loved  him,  and  felt  the  value  of  his  ac- 
cession to  our  church,  not  one  of  us  could  have  predicted 
that  he  was  destined  to  exert  so  world-wide  an  influerxe. 
He  recounted  to  us  much  of  his  early  life,  a  brief  abstract 
of  which  will  be  necessary  to  introduce  him  to  the  reader, 
as  he  is  to  occupy  so  large  a  space  in  the  history  of  the 
great  Revival.  His  name  was  John  A.  Morris.  He 
was  born  in  1811.  His  mother,  although  not  then 
a  professed  believer,  endeavored  to  instil  into  his  mind 
the  principles  of  virtue  and  morality,  which,  he  said, 
produced  no  immediate  effect.  When  she  was  on  her 
death-bed,  having  become  a  child  of  God  some  time  before, 
she  prayed  earnestly,  and  expressed  great  solicitude  for 
her  wandering  son.  A  pious  sister,  also,  joined  her 
prayers  with  those  of  the  mother,  on  behalf  of  her  erring 
brother. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  after  completing  his  course  at 
school,  he  obtained  the  consent  of  his  parents  to  go  to  sea. 
Here  he  soon  forgot  the  home  teachings,  and  in  three 
years  had  become  a  hardened  sinner.  He  continued  in 
his  evil  ways,  growing  worse  and  worse,  until  1853,  when 
he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  took  board  at  the 
New  York  Sailors'  Home.  Here  he  attended  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayers,  and  became  somewhat  serious, 
but  was  not  wilhng  to  give  up  his  sins.  His  dissipated 
habits  brought  on  a  severe  sickness — during  which  he 
was  distressed  on  account  of  his  disobedience  to  God.  He 
says : 

"I  was  seized  with  remorse  and   despair,  thinking  that  there 


THE    FAITHFUL    SWEDE.  3OI 

could  be  no  mercy  for  such  a  sinner  as  myself.  But  light  broke 
in  on  my  soul.  I  thought  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  which  could 
wash  away  all  sin.  I  resolved  therefore  to  perish,  if  I  must  perish, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Cross.  I  commenced  praying  for  the  forgiveness 
of  my  sins,  and  cast  myself  wholly  on  Christ.  I  soon  found 
peace  and  joy  in  believing.  Nearly  a  year  after  this  I  went  to 
New  Orleans,  and  entered  into  business.  Being  unsuccessful,  I 
returned  to  New  York,  fell  into  bad  company,  and  suffered  Satan 
again  to  have  dominion  over  me.  But  having  once  tasted  the 
sweets  of  the  gospel,  and  felt  the  love  of  Christ,  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  continue  in  sin ;  so,  I  again,  with  prayers  and  tears, 
came  to  my  long-suffering  Master,  was  received,  and  found  rest  to 
my  soul.  In  the  same  year  I  re-enlisted  in  the  Navy,  and  went  to 
the  China  seas,  from  whence  I  returned  to  New  York  again  in 
1858." 

Of  his  course  and  manner  of  Hfe,  during  that  cruise  of 
three  years,  he  says  but  little.  He  mentioned  to  some 
Christian  friends  that  he  desired  to  join  the  church.  But 
Satan  suggested  that  he  was  not  fit  to  do  so.  By  the 
grace  of  God,  however,  he  was  able  to  repel  the  sugges- 
tions of  the  tempter,  and  cast  himself  unreservedly  on 
Christ.  He  at  once  commenced  laboring  zealously  for 
the  benefit  of  others.  Being  naturally  of  a  modest  dispo- 
sition, he  shrunk  from  anything  like  ostentation.  Yet 
when  necessary,  he  could  be  aggressive,  and  in  the  main- 
tenance of  the  right,  as  bold  as  a  lion. 

After  a  few  weeks  of  sweet  social  and  spiritual  com- 
panionship, he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  go  to  sea  again. 
He  was  unwilling  to  enter  the  United  States  Navy  in  Nev/ 
York,  as  he  was  desirous  of  avoiding  the  necessity  of  be- 
ing sent  on  board  the  receiving  ship  North  Carolina, 
for  the  reason,  that  she  had  already  some  six  hundred  re- 
cruits on  board,  and  at  best  was  far  from  being  a  comfort- 


302  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

able  ship.  After  consulting  with  me,  he  decided  to  go  on 
to  Boston  and  ship  there.  He  left  us  on  the  1st  of  No- 
vember. On  the  4th  he  re-entered  the  Navy  for  the  term 
of  three  years,  and  on  the  5  th,  went  on  board  the  receiving 
ship  Ohio.      On  the  13th,  he  wrote  me  as  follows: 

^'-  U.  S.  Receiving  Ship  North  Carolina. 

''My  Dear  Pastor. — It  will  undoubtedly  surprise  you  very 
much  to  find  me  addressing  you  from  so  near  home,  when  you 
have  all  reason  to  suppose  me  in  Boston.  By  re-entering  the 
Navy  in  Boston  I  had  expected  to  join  some  ship  fitting  out  there. 
But  I  had  hardly  taken  up  my  quarters  on  board  the  Ohio, 
before  a  report  was  circulated  that  we  were  all  to  be  transferred 
to  New  York.  On  the  loth  the  Commodore  of  the  Yard  came 
onboard  and  confirmed  the  report.  On  Thursday,  the  nth,  we 
left  for  this  ship,  and  arrived  here  yesterday  morning. 

' '  O  how  sad  I  have  felt  since  I  left  you  last  week  !  To  leave 
such  exalted  religious  privileges  as  I  enjoyed  while  with  you  on^ 
shore,  to  come  on  board  a  crowded  guard-ship,  where  it  is  very 
difficult  to  find  a  place  for  morning  and  evening  devotions,  is  in- 
deed a  sore  trial,  for  this  ship  is  crowded  with  men.  Among  the 
two  hundred  and  thirty  men  who  left  Boston  in  the  draft  in  which 
I  came,  there  was  not  one  who  knew  the  sacred  name  of  the 
Saviour  but  to  use  it  in  blasphemy.  Last  Sunday,  on  board  the 
Ohio,  I  was  very  sad.  The  weather  being  stormy,  the  chaplain 
attached  to  her  did  not  come  on  board,  and  so  we  had  no  Divine 
service.  In  body  I  was  on  board  the  Ohio,  but  in  spirit  I  was 
with  the  Lord  and  his  people  in  New  York. 

"Since  I  came  here,  I  have  found  two  Christian  brethren,  a 
Baptist  and  an  EpiscopaUan,  so  I  expect  to  spend  the  time  here 
more  pleasantly  than  if  I  had  been  left  alone  among  the  ungodly 
crowd.  The  noise  is  such  that  it  is  difficult  to  keep  one's 
thoughts. " 

Our  brother's  active  mind  was  not  slow  to  take  in  the 


WHAT    MEANS    THIS  ?  303 

providential  teachings  of  the  unexpected  return  to  the 
ship  he  had  been  so  anxious  to  avoid.  His  question  there- 
fore was,  ''What  means  this?  God  has  something  for 
me  to  do,  or  he  would  not  have  sent  me  here."  The 
chief  object  with  him,  was  to  determine  what  was  to  be 
done,  and  how  to  do  it.  He  consulted  with  the  two 
brethren  mentioned  above,  with  reference  to  the  re-es- 
tablishing of  a  daily  prayer-meeting,  if  a  place  suitable 
for  it  could  be  obtained.  Having  been  shipmates  with 
the  executive  officer,  Lieutenant  Williamson,  he  made  a 
formal  request  for  permission  to  hold  such  a  meeting,  and 
to  have  a  suitable  place  provided.  Both  these  requests 
were  readily  granted,  and  the  forward  part  of  the  Orlop- 
deck  set  apart  for  that  purpose. 

In  a  few  days  all  necessary  arrangements  were  made, 
and  the  great  revival  of  the  nineteenth  century  on  the  sea 
was  begun.  It  is  proper  to  state  here  that  there  had 
been  at  intervals  religious  services  held  on  board  the 
North  Carolina,  for  years  past.  I  had  myself  been  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  her  on  the  Sabbath,  and  on  week 
days,  holding  religious  services,  preaching  and  praying 
as  opportunity  offered,  as  far  back  as  1855.  R^v.  Mr. 
Burnett,  of  Brooklyn,  had  also  conducted  services  for 
some  time  on  Sabbath  afternoons,  the  chaplain  of  the 
ship  performing  his  duties  in  the  forenoon.  Some  Bap- 
tist brethren  had  occasionally  turned  their  attention  to  the 
spiritual  wants  of  the  crew  ;  but  at  the  time  our  brotlier 
Morris  went  on  board,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  singu- 
lar absence  of  any  week-day  service,  although  the  number 
of  men  on  board  was  between  seven  and  eight  hundred. 
In  a  letter  written  later,  he  gave  me  a  detailed  account 
of  the  origin  of  the  blessed  work.      He  says  : 


304  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

"It  is  the  Lord's  work  ;  we  are  but  instmmenis  in  his  hands. 
When  I  came  on  board  the  'North  CaroUna/  there  were  no 
means  of  grace  except  the  preaching  service  on  the  Sabbath.  I 
had  lately,  as  you  know,  joined  the  people  of  God.  I  had  spent  a 
season  on  shore,  rich  to  me  in  spiritual  comforts.  My  heart 
was  warm  with  my  first  love,  and  when  I  got  on  board  I  felt  that 
I  had  new,  and  till  then,  untried  duties  to  perform.  I  commu- 
nicated the  feeling  to  Brothers  Staigg  and  Hilkins,  and  pointed 
out  the  necessity  of  such  a  meeting  for  prayer,  and  proposed  to 
ask  Lieut.  Williamson  to  have  a  place  assigned  us  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

''Two  or  three  days  passed  without  anything  definite  being 
decided  upon.  In  the  mean  time  another  Christian  man  came 
on  board,  from  the  Baptist  church.  The  brother  who  accom- 
panied him,  hearing  of  our  plan  to  start  a  prayer-meeting,  urged 
us  to  go  forward  at  once.  I  applied  to  the  chaplain,  Rev.  IMr. 
Stockbridge,  for  such  assistance  as  we  might  need.  The  next 
day  he  laid  the  matter  before  the  authorities,  and  we  were  enabled 
to  start  that  very  evening.  But  for  several  evenings  I  labored 
single-handed.  It  was  not  until  several  meetings  had  been  held, 
in  which  my  own  voice  was  the  only  one  heard,  that  brother 
Staigg,  to  my  great  pleasure  and  comfort,  gave  me  his  assistance, 
in  carrying  on  the  exercises.  He  and  I  were  the  feeble  instru- 
ments, in  God's  hand,  of  sustaining  the  meetings  until  he  was 
pleased  to  send  other  and  abler  workers  from  the  shore,  to  culti- 
vate his  vineyard. " 

On  the  2 1  St  of  November,  the  brethren  took  possess- 
ion of  the  Orlop-deck,  and  held  the  first  service.  The 
meeting  having  been  published  among  the  men,  a 
large  number  of  them  came  together  who  were  not 
inclined  to  anything  devotional  or  religious,  and  who 
endeavored  by  noises  and  by  scoffs  and  ridicule,  to  pre- 
vent the  service  from  proceeding.  There  was  "confusion, 
worse  confounded."    Some  of  the  brethren  were  intimi- 


A    WILD    SCENE.  305 

dated,  and  felt  that  it  would  be  impossible  in  such  a  Babel 
to  carry  on  the  prayer-meeting.  One  of  them  suggested 
to  Brother  Morris,  that  he  had  better  not  attempt  to  offer 
prayer.  Instead  of  yielding,  however,  he  dropped  upon 
his  knees  and  began  to  pray.  The  effect  of  that  prayer 
on  the  howling  multitude  of  infuriated  men  was  like  that 
of  the  Saviour's  word  to  the  waves  of  Galilee.  **  There 
was  a  great  calm."  So  that  Morris  not  only  finished  his 
prayer,  but  rising  from  his  knees,  made  an  address  to  the 
men,  many  of  whom  were  subdued,  and  from  that  hour 
the  success  of  the  effort  was  assured. 

In  my  journal  I  find  a  record  of  my  visit  to  the  ship, 
on  the  25th  of  November,  four  days  after  the  inception  of 
the  work.  I  found  the  meeting  then  in  full  blast.  On  De- 
cember 1st,  Morris  wrote  to  me  again.  Speaking  of  the 
crew  of  the  ship,  he  says  : 

"  One  would  think,  judging  from  their  conduct,  that  they  live 
only  to  eat,  drink  and  sleep.  A  great  many  of  them  are  occu- 
pied in  reading  novels,  and  other  bad  and  immoral  books,  or 
waste  their  precious  time  in  trifling  and  wicked  amusements. 
Cursing,  profanity,  and  blasphemy  are  the  order  of  the  day. 
From  morning  till  night  my  ears  are  continually  assailed,  and  my 
heart  pierced  by  hearing  the  holy  and  sacred  name  of  ine 
Saviour  taken  in  vain,  abused,  and  desecrated.  Satan  does  in- 
deed reign  with  great  power  on  board  this  ship  ;  especially  is  his 
spirit  manifest  in  a  few  young  men  who  have  made  it  their  busi- 
ness to  come  down  to  the  meeting  we  hold  every  evening,  to 
scoff,  to  ridicule,  and  to  annoy  us.  This  does  not,  however,  dis- 
courage us  in  the  least.  We  have  resolved,  in  the  strength  of 
the  Lord,  whom  we  serve,  to  continue  our  meeting  while  we 
remain  together  in  this  ship. 

"I  regret  that  two  of  our  brethren  can  take  no  active  part 
in  the  exercises  on  account  (as  they  tell  me)  of  their  de- 
20 


306  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS, 

ficiency  in  the  English  language.  They  have,  however,  shown 
their  colors.  They  have  come  out  boldly  and  professed  them- 
selves Christians.  As  for  myself,  I  feel — blessed  be  the  Lord — = 
that  the  annoyance  I  have  just  spoken  of  has  been  the  means,  in 
the  hand  of  God,  of  taking  away  from  me  all  fear  of  man,  in  the 
performance  of  my  duties  as  a  Christian.  Our  meetings  are  not 
so  numerously  attended  as  they  were  at  the  beginning  :  but  among 
those  who  now  attend,  there  are  many  serious,  and  two  I  have 
reason  to  believe  are  under  conviction  of  sin.  One  of  the  last 
mentioned,  a  Norwegian,  I  think,  from  the  conversation  I  had 
with  him  last  night,  begins  to  entertain  a  good  hope  in  Christ. " 

Under  date  of  December  2nd,  I  find  in  my  diary  the 
following  entry : 

"Visited  receiving  ship  in  company  with  t"\vo  other  brethren. 
Led  the  prayer-meeting  on  the  Orlop-deck.  Between  forty  and  fifty 
of  the  crew  present.  A  blessed  meeting.  The  Lord  was  with 
us  ;  I  spoke  to  them  of  the  influence  of  seamen  in  the  past,  and 
pointed  them  all  to  Christ.  On  this  day,  while  the  worK  of  the 
Lord  is  progressing  so  prosperously  on  board  the  receiving  ship 
here,  other  representatives  of  my  ministr}',  I  have  reason  to  believe, 
are  holding  up  the  banner  of  Christ  on  board  the  Wabash,  off 
the  Golden  Horn.  A  private  letter  received  from  Constantinople 
says,  '  We  have  just  had  a  visit  from  the  U.  S.  steam  frigate 
Wabash,  a  splendid  specimen  of  naval  architecture,  admired 
by  everybody.  The  Sultan  went  on  board  yesterday,  remained 
two  hours,  and  expressed  himself  highly  delighted  v;ith  her ; 
'  but, '  he  adds,  '  the  Wabash,  has  something  more  to  recom- 
mend her  than  simply  her  material  beauty  and  fitness.  Never, 
probably,  was  there  so  much  piety  afloat  on  a  ship-of-war.  I  do 
not  know  how  many  of  her  officers  and  men  are  religious  persons, 
but  I  believe  a  goodly  number  ;  and  finer  officers  and  men  I  have 
never  seen.  Her  government  is  all  paternal ;  scarcely  ever  is  any 
punishment  needed  on  board,  among  six  hundred  sailors.' '"' 

I  learn  from  other  sources,   that   the   first   lieutenant  of  the 


U.    S.    SHIP    WABASH.  30/ 

Wabash  conducts   the  meetings,  and  that  there  are  seventy  or 
more  converted  men  among  the  ship's  company. 

How  much  of  this,  under  God,  is  due  to  the  Mariners* 
church,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  But  in  looking  back 
over  my  Journal  for  1856,  I  find  that  some  goodly  seed 
was  sown  on  her  berth-deck,  and  among  her  officers. 
On  the  13th  of  November,  1856,  I  made  the  following 
entry  in  my  diary  : 

"Visited  the  U.  S.  steamship  Wabash,  and  distributed  a 
large  number  of  tracts  and  sailors'  magazines,  all  of  which  were 
greedily  devoured  by  the  crew — and  a  demand  made  for  more, 
in  other  languages  than  the  English."  The  next  day  I  scattered 
some  thousands  of  pages  of  printed  matter,  among  them  copies 
of  the  '  Convict  Ship, '  and  some  Portuguese,  German  and  Italian 
Testaments,  all  of  which  were  thankfully  received.  ]Many  of  the 
men  ask  for  tracts  in  preference  to  the  books.  I  found  it  difficult 
to  converse  with  the  men  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion,  on 
account  of  the  band,  which  was  rehearsing  for  the  afternoon.  At 
intervals,  however,  the  members  of  the  band  ran  out  of  the  ranks, 
to  ask  for  books  or  tracts  in  their  own  languages.  I  supplied 
them  in  German  and  Italian,  and  they  were  received  with  expres- 
sions of  sincere  gratitude. 

On  the  19th,  I  took  on  board  one  hundred  bound  vol- 
umes and  one  hundred  copies  of  the  Bible  Society's  Records. 
Rev.  Mr.  Chase,  the  chaplain,  received  me  very  kindly,  as  did 
also  Mr.  Sinclair,  the  first  lieutenant.  I  also  scattered  a  large 
quantity  of  papers  among  the  men,  who  retired  into  out-of-the- 
way  places  and  commenced  reading  them  immediately.  I  spoke 
a  word  for  my  Master  and  for  their  souls,  as  I  had  opportunity, 
and  left  the  seed  to  germinate  under  the  vivifying  power  of  the 
Spirit  of  life,  who  alone  can  move  the  obdurate  heart  of  the 
sinner. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  visited  the  North  Carolina.     Brothers 


^J^  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

Byrne  and  Gardner  accompanied  me.  Some  forty  persons  arose 
for  prayer,  twenty-five  or  thirty  testified  to  the  benefits  their  souls 
had  received  from  the  meetings.  Eighteen  had  already  confessed 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  among  their  shipmates,  before  we  went  on 
board.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  number  of  believers  had 
largely  increased. 

"  On  the  1 2th,  I  preached  on  board  to  about  seven  hundred 
men  from  Matt.  iv.  19  :  '  Follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  fish- 
ers of  men, '      Blessed  season  !     The   divine   Spirit  was   present. 

"  On  the  14th,  sixteen  of  the  crew  sent  an  application  to  our 
church  to  be  admitted  to  membership.  One  man  told  me  that 
he  was  pricked  to  the  heart  by  the  sermon  I  preached  on  Sabbath 
last,  and  that  he  had  given  himself  to  Christ.  Another  spoke  of 
the  wonderful  change  in  the  conduct  of  the  men,  as  contrasted 
with  that  of  a  week  or  two  ago.  Yellow-covered  literature  had 
given  way  to  the  Bible  and  Tracts,  and  other  good  books.  On  the 
15th,  twenty-one  of  the  seamen  were  examined  for  membership 
by  our  church  council,  and  received,  on  a  confession  of  their  faith 
in  Christ.  I  addressed  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty,  on  the  berth- 
deck,  for  an  hour,  this  afternoon,  many  of  them  very  serious. 
On  the  1 6th,  I  conducted  a  meeting  in  the  fore-peak.  Fifteen 
sailors  gave  their  experience.  These  men  are  soon  to  be  drafted, 
and  will  be  assigned  to  diiferent  ships  and  scattered  in  different 
parts  of  the  world  to  work  for  Christ. 

"  On  the  19th,  in  the  afternoon,  preached  a  short  sermon  on 
board  the  receiving  ship  from  Heb.  xii.  i,  and  administered  the 
Lord's  Supper  to  twenty- two  of  the  men,  four  of  whom  I  baptiz- 
ed. The  service  was  on  the  gun-deck,  in  the  presence  of  several 
hundred  men.  It  was  a  most  solemn  scene  !  How  strange  it 
seemed,  to  stand  amid  great  guns,  and  small  arms,  and  adminis- 
ter the  sacrament  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  !  Many  a  hardy,  weath- 
er-beaten face  was  bedewed  with  tears.  I  saw  a  number  holding 
their  caps  before  their  faces  to  hide  their  emotions.  At  the  close 
of  the  meeting  several  others  came  forward  and  expressed  the 
wish  to  be  examined  for  membership,  that   they   might   cast   m 


NOTICE   OF   THE    PRESS.  309 

their  lot  with  us.  An  eye-witness  of  this  scene,  speaks  of  it  thus  : 
*  The  services  were  in  striking  contrast  with  the  bristling  cannon 
and  the  many  other  weapons  of  destruction  all  around.  A  very 
large  proportion  of  the  eleven  hundred  recruits  was  present,  and 
the  earnest  attention  that  they  gave  to  the  impressive  and  solemn 
scene,  with  the  tears  that  coursed  down  many  a  bronzed  cheek, 
as  appeals  to  them  as  sinners  were  made,  and  the  memories  of 
early  home  and  maternal  love  and  teaching,  were  brought  to  their 
remembrance,  proved  that  the  truth  was  finding  a  lodgment  in 
their  hearts.'"' 

When  the  communion  service  was.  over,  a  large  con- 
course of  men  remaining  behind,  and  appearing  anxious, 
Captain  Bartlelt,  of  Plymouth,  a  converted  ship- master, 
made  an  affectionate  and  touching  address  to  them,  re- 
minding them  of  their  earHer  days  and  their  mother's  care 
and  instruction.  Many  of  them  were  greatly  affected, 
and  will  not  soon  forget  the  impression  made  on  their 
hearts  by  his  simple  appeal.  Another  who  was  present 
on  that  occasion  thus  describes  the  meeting  in  one  of 
the  religious  weeklies  : 

"The  daily  prayer-meeting  on  board  the  receiving  ship. 
North  Carolina,  has  been  greatly  blessed,  some  of  the  converts 
having  expressed  a  desire  to  unite  with  the  IMariners'  church. 
The  Council  met  on  board  the  ship  on  Wednesday  last,  to  ex- 
amine them  touching  their  Christian  experience  ;  and  though 
man  cannot  see  into  the  heart,  we  could  not  but  feel  that  it  was 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  experiences  of  some  of  those 
hardy  sailors,  representing  different  nationalities,  Nonvegian, 
Danes,  Swedes,  Finns,  Germans,  French,  &c.,  were  very  touching. 

''Arrangements  had  been  made  with  the  commandant  of  the 
yard  and  the  captain  of  the  ship,  to  celebrate  the  Communion, 
and  receive  the  men  into  the  church  last  Sabbath  afternoon  on 
board  the  vessel.     The  pastor  and  Council,   with  some  of  the 


310  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

officers  of  the  ship,  and  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  the  shore, 
assembled  on  the  gun  deck — where  seats  were  arranged  around 
a  table,  on  which  was  placed  the  Communion  service.  Rev. 
Mr.  Jones  conducted  the  services,  which  were  throughout 
solemn  and  impressive  ;  the  time,  the  place,  the  occasion,  all 
conspired  to  render  it  a  scene  of  unusual  interest.  Twenty- 
three  seamen  to  be  received  into  the  church  on  board  a  man-of- 
war  !  Four  of  the  candidates  kneeled  upon  deck  and  received 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  ;  the  elements  were  distributed  by  two 
members  of  the  Council,  and  as  the  services  progressed,  the  tears 
misfht  be  seen  tricklinq;  down  the  cheeks  of  those  hardv  seamen. 

"One  feature  was  peculiar.  As  the  pastor  read  the  confes- 
sion of  faith,  at  the  close  of  each  article,  there  was  a  hearty 
assent  of  aye  !  from  the  candidates.  Captain  Bartlett  of  Ply- 
mouth made  a  few  remarks,  stating  that  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  conducting  religious  services  on  board  his  own  ship  for 
more  than  sixteen  years  ;  but  he  had  never  before  witnessed  so 
interesting  a  scene  as  this.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  award- 
ed to  the  Rev.  Jos.  Stockbridge,  the  chaplain,  and  the  officers 
of  the  ship,  for  their  kind  attentions. 

' '  Two  or  three  Sabbaths  after  this,  twelve  of  the  crew  were 
baptized,  and  received  into  the  First  Baptist  Mariners'  church 
in  Cherry  street,  Rev.  Ira  Steward  officiating.  The  rite  was 
administered  in  the  slip  opposite  the  North  Carolina,  where 
the  large  ship's  company,  near  eight  hundred  men,  could  witness 
it.  Commodore  Breese  with  other  officers  and  a  goodly  con  - 
pany  of  church  members  were  present.  The  Lord's  Supper  v*  3 
celebrated  on  board  the  ship  after  the  baptism  by  pastor  Steward, 
Rev.  J.  Stockbridge  assisting.  In  describing  the  prayer-meeting 
which  preceded  this  Sabbath  baptism  and  communion,  a  gen- 
tleman from    the  shore,  wrote  : 

"  We  went  on  board  at  two  bells  in  the  Dog  watch  (5  R  M.) 
We  hurried  down  to  the  lower  deck.  The  place  was  stowed 
full,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  get  down  the  hatch- 
way.       Room    however   was    given,    and    we    edged  our  way 


INDESCRIBABLE    SOLEMNITY.  3  II 

along  to  a  seat  near  the  preacher's  stand.  The  service  had 
begun  ;  the  singing  was  exceedingly  impressive.  I'he  prayer 
being  ended,  the  preacher  announced  his  theme  :  '  This  is  a 
faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.'  It  was  a  short,  earnest, 
timely  discourse,  worthy  of  the  theme  and  of  the  occasion. 
The  faithful  saying  !     We  hope  some  received  it  that  night. 

"After  the  sermon  and  the  singing  of  a  hymn,  followed  by 
several  short  prayers  by  the  sailors,  the  chaplain  of  the  ship 
arose  and  said,  addressing  the  sailors,  it  was  expected  that  twelve 
of  those  now  present,  would  on  the  following  day — Sabbath — make 
a  public  profession  of  their  attachment  to  Christ.  He  desired 
therefore,  that  the  remaining  time  allotted  to  the  service  might 
be  occupied  in  the  relating  of  the  religious  experience  of  those 
who  were  expecting,  on  the  morrow,  to  make  a  public  profession 
of  religion,  so  that  their  shipmates  and  the  friends  from  the  shore 
might  hear  the  reasons  for  their  hope.  One  after  another  arose 
in  rapid  succession,  and  related,  each  in  a  few  words,  what  God 
had  done  for  his  soul.  This  part  of  the  exercises  was  intensely 
interesting.  The  deepest  of  all  the  impressions  was  this  one, 
that  these  men  had  been  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  was 
room  for  no  manner  of  doubt  for  a  moment,  that  these  unlet- 
tered men  had  been  led  by  a  divine  hand,  in  a  way  which  they 
knew  not.  The  hour  fled  on  golden  wings.  A  dense  mass  of 
seamen  were  sitting,  and  behind  them,  other  masses  standing  in 
rows  behind  rows  as  far  as  the  eyes  could  see.  One  from  the 
shore,  when  all  were  through,  struck  up  the  hymn  : 

*  Say,   brothers,   will  you  meet  us, 
On  Canaan's  happy  shore  ;' 

followed  by  the  sailors  in  that  beautiful  refrain  sung  in  the  tune 
so  well  known  : 

'  By  the  grace  of  God  we'll  meet  you, 
Where    parting  is  no  more.' 


312  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

This  chorus  was  Hke  the  sound  of  many  waters.  It  was  perfectly 
overwhelming.  The  tears  were  streaming  from  all  eyes,  and  a 
solemnity  past  all  description  sat  upon  eveiy  countenance.  In 
the  prayers  which  were  offered  by  these  devout  seamen,  continual 
reference  was  made  to  those  oifered  for  them  by  their  Christian 
friends  on  shore,  their  worthy  Chaplain,  Rev.  Mr.  Stockbridge 
having  assured  them  that  many  were  praying  for  them  all  ovei 
the  country.  Here,  one  arose  and  remarked  that  all  that  had 
been  said  was  true.  There  had  been  here  the  representatives  of 
the  religious  press,  and  two  are  here  to-night,  and  they  have 
related  what  they  have  seen,  and  it  has  gone  out  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  and  been  copied  into  other  religious  journals,  and 
the  whole  land  is  vocal  with  the  news  that  the  Lord  is  pouring 
out  his  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  North  Carolina,  and  millions  of 
prayers  go  up  to  heaven  for  a  blessing  upon  her. 

''  'The  noonday  prayer-meetings  in  the  city  all  remember  you 
in  prayer.  They  remember  you  in  other  cities.  And  now^,'  said 
the  speaker,  '  if  I  were  to  ask  you  how  many  of  you  desire  to  be 
prayed  for  in  the  daily  prayer-meetings  of  New  York,  Boston 
and  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Cincinnati  and  New  Orleans,  and 
all  other  places  v/here  daily  prayer-meetings  are  held,  I  doubt 
not,  many  hands  would  be  raised  to  signify  that  desire.'  Here 
the  speaker  paused,  but  not  intending  to  put  the  question. 
'Try  it,  brother  !'  s:dd  some  one  behind  him.  "  Tiy  it !'  said 
another  voice.  '  Well,  I  will, '  said  the  speaker  ;  '  I  will  try  it. 
As  many  of  you  as  wish  for  all  daily  prayer-meetings  on  shore  to 
pray  for  you,  please  raise  the  right  hand.'  We  stood  where  we 
could  see,  and  we  think  we  cannot  be  mistaken  w^hen  we  say 
that  at  least  three  hundred  hands  were  raised. 

"What  a  solemn  moment !  we  hope  that  some  went  on  their 
knees  to  pray  for  themselves  thar  night.  One  man  said,  in  the 
course  of  the  evening,  that  the  first  time  he  felt  an  awakening, 
was  when  Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  one  night  asked  those  to  raise  their  hand 
who  wished  for  prayer,  and  he  raised  his.  He  had  come  down  per- 
fectly unconcerned.     Mr.  Jones  had  said  :   '  Some  of  you,  per- 


A   REMARKABLE    MEETING.  313 

haps,  have  had  a  praying  mother.'  That  was  the  arrow  by  which 
he  was  deeply  pierced.  He  had  a  praying  mother.  He  was  in  a 
moment  thrown  into  a  state  of  agony.  He  ran  below,  and  hid 
himself  in  a  coal  bunker,  and  there  poured  out  his  soul  to  the  God 
of  his  dear  mother  to  have  mercy  on  him.  He  cast  himself  upon 
the  Saviour  at  once,  and  there,  on  the  spot,  he  found  mercy. " 

Such  testimonies  might  be  very  largely  multiplied, 
but  I  forbear.  On  Thursday,  the  23  rd,  I  conducted  the 
prayer- meeting,  in  the  fore  part  of  the  Orlop-deck;  the 
place  was  literally  thronged.  Between  one  and  two 
hundred  were  present.  The  interest  was  intensified.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  meetings  I  ever  had  the 
privilege  of  attending,  one  of  the  blessed  scenes  of  earth. 
As  I  sat  in  the  midst  of  these  rough  and  neglected  sailors, 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  goodness  of  our  Lord  in 
bringing  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  so  many  of  them, 
who  but  a  few  weeks,  nay,  days  ago,  had  no  hope,  and 
were  without  God  in  the  world,  but  who  now  had  become 
as  httle  children,  and  were  rejoicing  in  the  redemption 
of  their  souls,  through  faith  in  Christ.  The  presence  and 
power  of  God  were  displa3^ed  in  a  very  wonderful  man- 
ner, as  shown  in  the  following  notes,  taken  at  the  time  ; 
all  of  which  illustrate  the  illuminating  power  of  the  Spirit 
in  the  heart,  and  his  guiding  hand  in  the  tongue.  James 
C was  the  first  to  relate  his  experiences.     He  said  :i 

' '  Shipmates,  I  want  to  say  a  few  words.  Jesus  has  done  great 
things  for  me,  and  I  have  determined  to  ser\-e  him  from  this  time 
forth  ;  so  that,  if  my  body  should  go  down  under  the  waters,  my 
soul  may  go  aloft.  I  felt  what  that  captain  s-^id.  My  mother 
once  asked  me  to  pray.  T  could  not  then  !  but  oh,  shipmates,  I 
can  pray  now  !  The  more  I  pray  and  read,  the  more  I  love  to 
do  it.      Oh,  come  to  Jesus !     He  died  for  us.      He  will  save  us. 


314  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

I  was  the  worst  of  sinners.  He  saved  me.  If  I  had  a  thousand 
hearts  and  souls  I  would  give  them  all  to  him.  My  father  I 
hope  is  in  heaven — he  went  down  at  sea — I  am  bound  to  travel  to 
him.  I,  too,  may  go  down  at  sea,  but  I  hope  to  meet  him.  I 
wish  some  of  you  would  begin  to  serve  Christ.  Don't  put  it  off. 
Come  to  Jesus  and  say — 

"  '  Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away, 
'Tis  all  that  I  can  do.' " 

William  P — followed,  and  said  : 

' '  I  am  glad  to  see  so  many  here  to-night  The  first  night  I 
came  down  here,  I  came  to  skylark.  I  stood  back  to  make  fun, 
but  some  one  was  v/anted  to  start  a  hymn,  so  I  came  forward  and 
sang  for  them.  I  did  not  come  again  for  a  week.  When  Mr. 
Byrne  came  I  was  present  and  was  touched  in  the  heart.  I  heard 
his  experience.  I  felt  that  I  was  a  sinner.  I  went  to  my  ham- 
mock in  great  distress.  Mr.  B —  told  us  to  read  the  3rd  chapter 
of  John.  I  prayed  in  my  hammock  until  I  fell  asleep.  In  the 
morning  I  read  that  chapter,  and  found  that  I  must  be  born 
again,  and  went  to  God  in  prayer.  He  forgave  me  my  sins, 
and  I  advise  you  to  come  to  him. " 

John  M.  F said  : 

* '  The  devil  has  had  control  of  me  long  enough,  and  now  I  in- 
tend to  ser\'e  another  Master.  This  is  no  hasty  decision,  ship- 
mates. I  have  considered  it  some  time  ;  I  have  resolved  to  curse 
and  swear  no  more.  I  have  done  enough  of  that  work,  and  now 
I  mean  to  serve  God,  and  want  you  all,  shipmates,  to  pray  for  me. " 

Prayer  Avas  then  offered  by  De   M and    others. 

Samuel  A.  D next  rose  and  said  : 

' '  I  am  not  ashamed  now,  to  confess  Christ  before  men.  I 
have  felt  for  some  time,  the  necessity  of  serving  God,  and 
acknowledging  Llim  before  men,  but  I  was  ashamed.     I  now 


TRI'ED    TO    BE    AN    INFIDEL.  315 

glory  in  the  privilege  of  facing  men  for  Christ.  I  was  one  of  the 
worst  of  sinners — the  very  worst.  I  attended  some  of  these  meet- 
ings, and  began  to  think.  I  went  to  bed  —  but  could  not 
sleep.  In  the  morning  I  lashed  up  my  hammock,  and  then 
came  down  here,  and  hid  myself,  and  fell  on  my  knees  to  God. 
I  could  not  help  crying.  I  looked  back  on  my  past  life,  and 
for  thirty  years  I  can  say  I  have  not  had  one  happy  day.  I 
could  not  bear  to  be  alone  ;  I  wanted  company.  But  now,  I 
love  to  be  alone,  because  I  can  think  and  pray  to  God,  when  by 
myself." 

Jacob  L — —  said  : 

"  It  was  a  happy  day  for  me  when  the  Lord  directed  my  steps 
on  board  this  vessel.  For  I  have  more  pleasure  than  ever  in 
my  life  before.  I  have  time  to  think  here.  Some  of  you  think  a 
man  cannot  be  religious  on  board  a  ship.  But  this  is  the  very 
place  to  be  religious.  When  on  shore  I  have  gone  to  church 
and  heard  a  minister  preach  until  I  have  cried  over  my  sins, 
and  then  have  gone  right  out  to  a  grogshop,  and  drowned  it  all 
in  rum.  There  are  no  rum-shops  to  go  to  here.  1  can  get  rum, 
but  I  will  not.  Jesus  is  now  my  Master,  and  I  have  done  serv- 
ing the  devil  ;  he  is  a  hard  task-master.  I  thought  about  my 
mother,  when  that  captain  was  speaking  on  Sunday  of  mothers 
in  heaven,  but  I  never  knew  mine.  I  hope  she  is  in  heaven, 
and  now  looks  down  upon  her  repentant  son,  who  is  striving  for 
heaven.     Jesus  will  take  me  there,  I  know. " 

Thomas  A said  : 

"When  first  convicted,  I  could  not  sleep  at  night.  I  have 
been  fifteen  years  at  sea,  in  all  kinds  of  vessels — the  slave  trade 
among  the  rest.  But  I  hope  God  will  forgive  me.  I  have  come 
out,  and  I  mean  to  serve  God." 

Henry  C said  :  "I  went  to  sea  against  the  wishes  of  my 

parents.  I  wanted  to  see  the  world,  and  I  wandered  from  shore 
to  shore,  but  was  not  happy.  I  read  infidel  books  and  scoffed  at 
the  Bible.    1  tried  to  believe  it  untrue,  but  with  all  my  efforts  did 


3l6  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

not  succeed.  At  length  my  parents  died.  I  had  fears  of  death, 
but  tried  to  shake  them  off ;  and  until  last  Sabbath,  was  as  wild 
as  ever.  Men  talk  about  conscience.  It  is  all  very  well,  but 
for  me,  conscience  only  troubled  me  after  the  deed  was  done. 
It  troubled  me  too  late  ;  it  did  not  act  as  a  preventive.  What 
Captain  Bartlett  said  went  to  my  heart.  He  spoke  from  th3 
heart,  even  to  my  heart.  My  mother  is  dead.  I  know  she  is  in 
heaven,  for  she  loved  the  Lord.  The  question  arose  in  my  mind, 
'  Shall  I  see  her  ?'  I  wept,  and  thought  I  would  come  down 
to  this  spot  and  pray  to  God  to  forgive  me.  I  came  down  here 
and  hid  myself  away.  A  heav}^  weight  was  on  my  soul.  I 
prayed,  too,  in  my  hammock,  and  the  weight  was  removed.  I 
have  now  an  inward  joy  of  heart  in  believing  in  Christ. ' 

' '  The  next  speaker  said  :  *  I  have  a  word  to  say.  I  tried  to 
speak  befvire,  but  could  not.  I  now  tell  you  what  the  Lord  has 
done  for  n.y  soul'  He  then  described  his  conviction  and  con- 
version. 

"Nicholas    ]\I ,  aged    twenty-six,    said:    'I  was  born  in 

Germany,  and  I  have  been  twelve  years  at  sea.  I  came  down 
here  several  times  and  tried  to  talk,  but  could  not.  I  felt  as  I 
had  never  felt  before  in  my  life.  I  am  a  great  sinner.  I  would 
not  read  the  Bible  or  other  good  books.  I  would  not  go  to 
meeting  ;  but  when  I  saw  one  of  these  brothers,  I  called  out, 
'There  goes  one  of  the  North  Carolina's  missionaries!'  But  it 
did  not  hurt  them,  nor  do  me  any  good  ;  and  when  I  had 
done  it,  something  struck  my  mind  that  I  was  wrong.  These 
were  good  men,  consistent  men.  I  went  to  my  hammock  and 
prayed  to  God,  and  thought  of  all  my  life.  Now  I  mean  to^ 
serve  God." 

' '  Charles  J said  :  '  Shipmates,  when  I  first  ca-me  to  these 

meetings,  I  came  to  mock  ;  but  mocking  at  religion  did  not 
help  me.  I  felt  very  bad,  sometimes  so  bad  that  I  thought  if  I 
continued  long  in  that  state,  I  should  go  mad.  I  tried  to  be  an 
infidel,  and  said  the  Bible  was  a  humbug.  But  a  tract  was  put 
into  my  hands  ;  the  title  was,  '  My  spirit  shall  not  always  strive,' 


BROKEN    PROMISES.  317 

I  read  it  with  some  interest.  I  felt  that  if  I  could  come  now, 
there  was  some  hope  for  me.  I  had  been  at  war  with  God  all 
my  life-time,  insulting  and  blaspheming  my  Redeemer,  God, 
who  died  for  me.  It  is  a  hard  thing,  shipmates,  to  fight  against 
God  Almighty.  I  felt  this,  and  I  prayed  to  God  (if  it  were  pos- 
sible) to  save  me.  He  heard  my  prayer.  Now  I  am  willing  to 
do  good  to  any  man.  Some  say  that  religion  is  a  humbug,  and 
religious  men,  enthusiasts,  who  make  a  splurge  for  a  time  and 
then  fall  back.  I  am  now  speaking  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
I  am  drafted  to  the  Saint  Louis,  and  you  can  watch  me, 
and  see  whether  it  is  only  an  affair  of  to-day.  I  mean  to  serve 
God  at  sea.  They  who  say  a  man  cannot  seiTe  God  at  sea  are 
wrong.  It  can  be  done  ;  do  it  at  once.  I  have  seen  the  folly  of 
putting  it  oif.  The  third  mate  of  a  ship  I  was  in  used  to  promise 
God  that  he  would  ser^-e  him.  Once  a  man  fell  overboard, — the 
boat  was  lowered  ;  the  third  and  second  mates  were  in  her. 
They  could  not  find  the  man.  On  her  return  to  the  ship  the 
boat  was  capsized,  and  all  the  crew  were  in  the  water  a  long 
time,  and  were  at  length  delivered.  The  third  mate  promised 
God  he  would  serve  him.  For  three  days  he  was  serious  ;  after 
that  he  relapsed,  and  was  worse  than  ever.  When  we  arrived  in 
India,  he  went  on  shore,  was  taken  sick  of  the  cholera,  and  died 
in  eight  hours,  without  any  one  to  say  a  word  to  him  about  his 
soul." 

' '  Frederick  N said,    in  broken  language  :  '  I  have  often 

felt  an  interest  in  my  soul,  and  when  I  have  wanted  to  go  to 
church  my  shipmates  would  ask  me  to  go  with  them  and  get 
grog ;  so  my  good  feelings  were  smothered.  I  had  a  pious 
mother.  Her  last  words  to  me,  when  dying,  were,  '  Fred,  do 
not  forget  Jesus  Christ'  But  I  forgot  her  counsel.  Last  Sunday. 
I  came  down  among  these  Christian  men,  and  now  I  have  2, 
pleasure  in  talking  about  God.     I  want  you  all  to  pray  for  me.' 

''Another,  whose  name  I  did  not  catch,  said:  'I  want  to  say 
that  I  have  served  the  de\il  long  enough.  I  am  now  tryirig  to, 
serve  Christ,  and  I  am  twice  the  man  I  was.' 


3l8  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

"Heniy  L.  E said  :  'My  mother  died  when  I  was  three 

years  old.  I  do  not  know  much  about  her  ;  but  I  know  she 
placed  her  dying  hand  on  my  head,  and  prayed  the  Lord  Jesus 
to  keep  me.  Lately  I  have  been  concerned  for  my  soul,  though 
careless  before.  When  I  felt  my  sins,  I  went  down  into  the  fore- 
hold,  and  prayed  to  God  to  drive  the  devil  out  of  me.' 

"Richard  H said:  *I   feel  myself  a  very  wicked  sinner, 

and  I  prayed  to  God  to  take  away  my  sins.' 

"Another  said  :  '  Last  night  I  could  not  speak  to  you  at  all. 
But  God  has  done  great  things  for  me.  I  am  only  twenty-two 
years  old,  yet  have  been  in  all  kinds  of  sin.' 

"James  B.  L also  related  his  experience,  which  was  full 

of  interest  and  in  harmony  with  the  testimony  which  he  had 
given  before. 

"Richard  M.  C ,  ship's  yeoman,   said:    'Joy  in   heaven 

over  one  sinner  that  repenteth  !  Is  it  possible  that  the  bright 
angels  in  that  better  world  are  interested  in  my  salvation  ?  Then 
I  believe  there  is  hope  for  me.  O  brethren,  pray  for  me  ! 
Pray  that  my  burden  may  be  removed.  I  once  sailed  under 
these  colors,  and  I  want  to  return.' 

"At  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  prayer  was  offered  by  Charles 

C.  C ,  and  Thomas  S ,   second.     Luke  R related 

his  experiences,  and  then  William  P offered  a  prayer.     After 

this  Thomas  W.  S spoke  as  follows  : 

"  '  Shipmates,  I  rise  to  say  to  you  that  I  do  not  want  you  to  call 
me  a  Christian,  because  I  am  not  one  ;  but  1  do  desire  to  be- 
come one.  I  have  long  been  under  conviction,  and  have  often 
tried  to  pray  ;  but  the  devil  comes  and  steals  away  my  thoughts. 
Sometimes  I  kneel  to  pray,  and  the  first  thing  1  know  my 
thoughts  are  in  Philadelphia  or  Boston,  or  somewhere  else.  Yel 
I  do  want  to  be  a  Christian.  O  pray  for  me  !  If  I  am  a  Chris- 
tian, I  want  to  be  a  whole  one.' 

*^  At  this  point,  a  quarter  before  eight  o'clock,  having  continued 
the  meeting  two  hours  and  three-quarters,  I  closed  up  with  a 
few  remarks,  doxology  and  benediction.     As  I  was  leaving,  Wil- 


HAPPY    IN    HIM.  319 

liam  W ,  a  young  German,  was  sitting  in  the  corner,  weep- 
ing. He  said,  *  Tvly  heart  is  full ;  I  cannot  speak.  O  pray  for 
me  ;  I  want  to  come  to  Christ ;    but  can  find  no  peace. '     Ten 

feet  from  him  sat  John  D ,  his  face  buried  in  his  hands.     He 

came  down  to  mock,  and  is  now  broken-hearted,  and  wished 
me  to  pray  for  him.  As  I  was  approaching  the  gangway  to  leave 
the  ship,  a  hand  grasped  mine  in  the  dark  and  drew  me  aside. 
A  voice  proceeding  from  a  mass  of  black  bushy  hair,  said, 
'  Brother  Jones,  I  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Charlestown,  Mass.,  some  time  ago,  but  have  been  for  years  a 
backslider.  I  came  here  in  the  Niagara's  draft.  I  went  down 
to  the  meeting  with  the  brethren,  and  I  have  found  the  Saviour 
precious  to  my  soul,  and  willing  to  receive  me,  I  am  happy  in 
Him.  Pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  kept  steadfast.'  His  name  is 
Henr>'P— ." 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  interesting  evenings  I  ever 
spent  in  my  life,  and  one  that  may,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
have  as  important  a  bearing  on  the  happiness  of  the  bless- 
ed in  the  eternal  world,  as  any  I  have  attended  during 
my  whole  ministry.  It  revealed  to  me  the  fact  that 
some  twenty- six  or  thirty  more  than  those  we  have 
received  are  now  determined  to  live  for  Christ. 

On  the  26th  I  preached  the  Word  to  nearly  a  thousand 
men,  on  the  gun-deck,  from  Hebrews  ii.  3  :  "  How 
shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?"  The 
interest  still  increasing.  The  next  day  twenty-two  more 
of  the  seamen  were  received  into  membership  with  the 
church.  I  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  to  them,  in 
one  of  the  after  cabins.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting, 
three  of  the  gun-room  officers  came  and  offered  their 
mess-room  to  us,  for  any  subsequent  meetings. 

The  whole  number  received  into  the  church  in  a  few 
weeks,  as  the  fruit  of  this  revival,  was  sixty-five.     Of  this 


320  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

number,  four  only  had  not  been  baptized  in  infancy, 
and  one  was  doubtful.  In  the  case  of  sixty  of  them, 
therefore,  the  covenant  faithfulness  of  God  was  fully  illus- 
trated. In  addition  to  those  received  in  the  Mariners' 
church,  many  more  joined  the  Baptist  and  Methodist 
churches.  It  is  believed,  from  a  hundred  and  twenty,  to 
a  hundred  and  fifty  in  all. 

The  closing  Sabbaths  of  the  year  have  in  my  experi- 
ence always  been  favorable  seasons  ;  times  in  which  God 
seemed  to  be  savingly  near  to  our  people.  Times  of 
refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  blessed  to  both 
seamen  and  landsmen  because  of  the  gracious  manifes- 
tation of  Divine  power  in  connection  with  the  preached 
word.  Perhaps  on  those  occasions,  more  prayer  went  up 
to  God  for  the  success  of  the  gospel.  Or  it  may  be  that 
the  solemnities  associated  with  the  passage  of  years, 
caused  the  word  to  be  more  sincerely  listened  to  and 
more  faithfully  applied.  Or,  again,  the  sense  of  minis- 
terial responsibility  may  have  induced  more  pungent 
preaching,  more  faithful,  fervid,  and  intense  effort  for  the 
salvation  of  souls.  Whatever  the  cause,  certain  it  is  that 
very  many  precious  souls  were  born  again  on  those  occa- 
sions. 

The  last  Sabbath  of  the  year  1858  did  not  differ  in  this- 
respect  from  any  of  its  predecessors.  As  illustrating  this 
point  I  introduce  here  two  narratives.  The  first,  that  of 
a  sea  captain  who  rose  in  our  prayer-meeting  on  January 
1st,  1859,  and  publicly  dedicated  himself  to  God,  saying 
that  he  had  been  moved  to  take  this  important  step  as  a 
result  of  convictions  produced  in  his  mind  by  the  sermon 
which  I  had  preached  on  the  morning  of  the  last  Sabbath 
of  the  year,  from   i  John  ii.    18  :    "  Little  children,  it  is 


A    CAPTAINS    EXPERIENCE.  32 1 

the  last  time."  He  gave  the  following  account  of  him- 
self, which,  at  my  request,  he  wrote  out  afterwards. 
I  insert  it  here  in  his  own  words  : 

''  I  have  followed  the  sea  thirty-two  years — ^for  the  last  twenty- 
two  as  chief-officer  and  captain  out  of  the  port  of  Liverpool.  I 
am  now  forty-six  years  of  age,  and  am  pained  to  say  that  I  have 
been  all  this  time  without  the  love  of  God  in  my  heart.  Twice 
have  I  been  dismasted,  once  run  down,  have  weathered  two  terri- 
ble hurricanes,  one  off  the  Falkland  Islands,  and  another  on  my 
passage  home  from  the  West  Indies.  I  have  ridden  out  many 
severe  gales  of  wind,  and  during  all  these  years  my  heart  was  im- 
penitent. Yes !  harder  than  the  nether  mill-stone.  Drink  was 
my  besetting  sin.  Many  a  time  have  I  asked  the  Lord  to  have 
mercy,  but  I  had  no  mercy  on  myself  It  pleased  the  Lord  to 
direct  my  steps  to  America,  and  to  the  port  of  New  York.  Sail- 
or-like, and  as  usual,  on  coming  ashore,  I  took  a  glass  of  grog, 
and  then  another,  and  so  on,  until  my  tippling  brought  on 
drunkenness.  In  this  condition  the  Lord  led  me,  I  believe, 
to  the  Sailors'  Home.  They  were  at  prayers.  The  spirit  of 
God  met  me  there.  The  words  read,  '  They  have  I\Ioses  and 
the  prophets,'  touched  my  heart.  May  the  Lord  have  mercy 
on  me  now,  I  thought.  It  came  like  a  thunderbolt  to  my 
heart.  For  the  Bible,  that  contained  Moses  and  the  proph- 
ets, had  been  lying  in  my  chest  since  1826,  just  thirty-three 
years.  And  I  do  not  think  I  have  looked  into  it  a  half 
dozen  times.  The  thought  made  me  miserable.  I  tried  to 
pray,  but  my  tongue  was  tied.  I  wept.  I  sought  peace.  I 
sought  it  carefully,  with  tears.  I  was  almost  giving  up.  I  was 
ashamed  of  and  despised  myself  But  the  Lord  was  working 
his  mighty  work  in  my  spirit. 

"  The  following  day  I  signed  the  Temperance  pledge.      I  was 

still  troubled,  however,  still  weary  in  body  and  sick  in  soul.      I 

could  find  no  rest.     On  the  next  Sabbath  I  went  to  the  ]\Iari- 

ners'  church  and  heard  you,   sir,   preach.     Your   text  was, '  It  is 

21 


322  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  last  time.'  I  said  to  myself, '  My  God  !  what  shall  I  do  ?  I 
cannot  pray.  I've  tried,  but,  alas,  I  have  not  the  power  to  move 
my  tongue  !  My  feelings  were  such  that  I  thought  I  should  die 
in  the  church.  At  night  I  prayed  to  God,  and,  blessed  be  his 
holy  name,  through  Christ  Jesus,  my  eyes  were  opened,  my  heart 
softened,  my  tongue  loosed.  I  saw  by  faith,  my  Redeemer  nail- 
ed to  the  cross.  I  saw  his  side  bleeding  for  me.  I  began  to 
praise  God,  and  prayed  as  I  had  never  prayed  before.  A  won- 
derful change  came  over  me.  The  things  I  once  loved,  I  now 
hate.  I  praise  God  that  he  has  spared  me  for  Christ's  sake. 
Now,  by  his  grace  and  redeeming  love,  and  by  the  aid  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  I  acknowledge  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  Crucified  as  my 
only  Saviour." 

The  second  is  that  of  a  lad,  a  member  of  our  Sabbath- 
school,  who  was  awakened  by  the  same  discourse.  He 
tells  his  story  thus,  in  a  note  to  me,  a  few  days  after: 

"  Mr.  Jones, — Dear  Sir — I  have  felt  very  sad  concerning  my 
soul  for  the  last  three  weeks,  but  I  think,  if  God  should  call  me 
away  to-night,  it  would  be  to  inherit  eternal  life.  I  was  awaken- 
ed in  the  experience  meeting,  and  convicted  of  sin.  My  wicked 
heart  was  troubled,  and  when  an  invitation  was  extended  to  those 
who  were  tired  of  sin,  to  rise,  that  they  might  be  prayed  for,  Sa- 
tan told  me  not  to  rise,  as  my  companions  would  laugh  at  me  ; 
but  I  was  able  to  overcome  the  temptation.  Then  he  told  me  it 
was  too  late,  that  I  was  too  great  a  sinner.  '  You  have  sinned  be- 
fore God  and  blasphemed  his  name/  he  said.  It  was  all  true, 
but  I  have  truly  repented  of  it.  When  I  look  back  over  my  past 
life,  and  call  to  mind  the  wickednesses  I  have  committed,  I  trem- 
ble. I  have  wickedly  cursed  my  blessed  Redeemer,  who  died 
for  me.  But  I  believe  he  has  had  mercy  on  me.  I  hope  he 
will  forgive  me  for  all  the  trouble  I  have  caused  my  dear  mother 
and  father.  I  thank  God  that  he  has  opened  my  eyes  to  the 
light,  that  he  has  showed  me  the  danger  I  was  in.  Oh,  how 
blind  I  was  !     I  pray  that  he  vvdll  strengthen  me  agai-nst  all  sin, 


A  captain's  experience.  323 

help  me  to  pray  for  my  wicked  companions,  and  to  walk  in  the 
straight  path  myself.  It  was  once  a  great  trouble  for  me  to  go  to 
church  ;  now  it  is  my  greatest  pleasure.  I  love  now  to  hear  the 
blessed  name  of  Jesus  mentioned.  The  strongest  convictions  I 
had,  were  under  your  sermon,  on  the  text,  'It  is  the  last  time.' 
It  came  upon  me  like  a  shock.  It  rang  in  my  ears,  'the  last 
time.'  I  really  did  think  it  was  the  last  night  on  earth  to  me. 
I  poured  out  my  heart  to  God,  right  in  the  church,  and  begged 
him  to  spare  me.  I  thought,  Oh,  if  I  should  die  to-night,  what 
would  become  of  my  soul  !  Oh,  may  that  precious  Saviour  con- 
tinue to  have  mercy  upon  me  !  I  have  found  greater  happiness 
in  Christ,  this  week,  than  I  ever  had  before  in  all  my  life.  Do 
not  forget  to  pray  for  me.  Oh,  that  Bible  is  a  precious  book  to 
me  !  J.   E. " 

The  writer  of  the  above  became  an  active  worker  in 
the  church,  and  did  much  good  by  liis  earnest  and  per- 
suasive efforts  among  the  young.  He  labored  also  to  fill 
God's  house  with  the  sons  of  the  sea.  His  union  with 
the  church  was  blessed  to  us  all.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Rebellion,  he,  with  some  half  a  dozen  other  young  men 
of  my  church,  were  among  the  first  to  volunteer  for  the 
army,  and  became  attached  to  the  "  Duryea  Zouaves." 
They  went  through  the  perils  of  the  march,  the  bivouac 
and  the  fight,  maintaining  their  Christian  integrity,  and 
came  home,  though  young  in  years,  as  veterans  of  the 
war.  My  young  friend  still  lives  (1884),  ^^^s  ^  family  of 
children,  is  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  is  among 
the  prominent  master  mechanics  of  the  metropolis,  carry- 
ing on  a  large  manufacturing  interest,  of  which  he  is  the 
sole  head,  and  practical  guide,  and  into  which  he  carries 
the  principles  which  were  quickened  into  life  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  under  the  preached  word  on  that  December  even- 
ing, twent)'-five  years  ago. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

INCREASED    INTEREST — THE    DISPERSION. 

Large  accessions — Pastoral  instruction — First  swarm  —Fresh  leaders  to  the 
front — New  praying  centre— Letter  from  the  St.  Louis — Farewells — 
Mutual  pledges — The  source  of  streams — Orlop  deck  illumined — Lord's 
Supper — Further  depletion— U.  S.  steamer  Brooklyn — Largest  meet- 
ing of  all  — My  diary — Motherly  solicitude — Source  of  inspiration — 
Cheering  letters — Spirit  willing,  flesh  weak — Colors  nailed  to  the  mast 
— Princeton  Seminary — Not  rested,  but  refreshed— Brightening  up — Sad, 
but  joyfi)! — A  sea-stock — Good  resolution — Parting  address — The  de- 
cisive day — Service  on  the  Sound — Cheerful  response — The  North 
Carolina,  our  school — Burden  of  sou's — The  27th  of  April,  1859 — Tears 
the  i-ule — New  springs  opened — "  Laus  Deo." 

On  the  first  of  January,  1859,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  of  the  seamen  of  the  receiving  ship  North  CaroHna, 
walked  aft  of  their  own  accord  and  stopped  their  grog 
ration,  determining  to  begin  the  year  as  sober  men. 
''  Behold  how  great  a  matter  a  little  fire  kindleth."  At 
our  communion  season,  on  January  2d,  1859,  the  names 
of  fifty-two  seamen  were  reported  as  added  to  our  church 
roll,  including  tlie  forty-four  converts  of  the  above  ship ; 
all  of  them,  on  a  confession  of  their  faith  in  Christ.  On 
the  6th,  I  visited  the  ship  again,  accompanied  by  two 
members  of  the  council,  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  our 
new-born  brethren  in  the  duties,  privileges  and  responsi- 
bilities of  the   Christian  life.      I  read  and  expounded  the 

524. 


PASTORAL    INSTRUCTION.  325 

xiiith  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians,  and  urged,  with  special 
emphasis,  the  exercise  of  Charity  or  Love,  and  depreca- 
ted everything  hke  clannishness  and  sectarian  one-sided- 
ness,  showing  that  One  is  our  Master,  and  that  all  we  are 
brethren.  I  dwelt  on  the  necessity  of  watching  our  own 
hearts,  and  avoiding  all  pride  and  self-esteem.  I  closed 
with  a  fervent  appeal  to  them  to  '*  put  on  the  whole 
armor  of  God  ;  the  armor  of  righteousness  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left ;"  to  assiduously  cultivate  watchful- 
ness and  prayer,  and  to  be  at  peace  among  themselves. 

This  visit  did  good,  as  I  have  reason  to  know.  Men 
were  profuse  in  their  expressions  of  gratitude  for  the 
instruction  received,  and  in  tlieir  promises  of  faithfulness 
to  their  new  Master.  In  evidence  of  their  true  concep- 
tion of  their  great  obligations  and  responsibilities,  they 
had  already,  without  any  prompting  from  without,  organ- 
ized themselves  as  a  body  of  believers,  and  appointed 
leaders  of  meetings,  correspondents  and  committees  for  the 
better  carrying  forward  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  among 
their  shipmates  ;  thus  carrying  the  war  into  the  enemies' 
camp,  and  laboring  for  the  rescue  of  other  souls,  which 
they  recognized  as  equally  precious  in  the  Master's  sight 
with  their  own. 

The  -first  of  the  new  converts  to  swarm  from  the  parent 
hive,  was  a  band  of  about  twenty,  who  were  included  in  a 
draft  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  picked  out  for  the 
crew  of  the  U.  S.  steamer  St.  Louis,  which  had  been 
put  in  commission  for  a  cruise  on  the  coast  of  Central 
America.  Among  these  were  John  A.  Morris,  and  the  two 
brethren,  Staigg  and  Hilkins,  who,  with  him,  had  origin- 
ated the  daily  prayer-meeting,  from  which  such  blessed 
results  had  accrued.     This  gave  us  an  earnest  of  the  good 


326  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

things  to  come,  even  of  the  precious  work  of  grace  which 
it  will  be  our  privilege  to  chronicle  hereafter.  In  this 
company  of  over  twenty,  seventeen  of  whom  were  new 
converts,  we  had  the  assurance  that,  with  Morris  for  a 
leader,  there  would  be  no  timidity  displayed  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  warfare  against  Satan's  stronghold  on 
the  berth-deck.  In  addition  to  this  source  of  confidence 
was  the  fact  that  one  of  the  lieutenants  was  a  devout  man, 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  from  whose 
official  position  and  influence  we  saw  an  agency  of  safety 
to  them  from  petty  spite  and  persecutions  ;  or  at  least  of 
such  modifications  of  insane  fury,  as  would  comport  with 
a  sense  of  the  respect  which  is  due  to  the  quarter-deck. 
Nor  were  we  mistaken,  as  the  sequel  will  show.  The 
effect  of  the  departure  of  the  brethren  of  the  St.  Louis, 
on  those  who  remained,  is  referred  to  in  a  letter  written 
January  3d,  the  day  on  which  they  were  transferred  to 
their  own  ship.      Tlie  writer  says  : 

"  The  crew  of  the  St.  Louis  left  us  this  afternoon.  We  feel 
that  we  have  sustained  a  great  loss  by  so  many  of  our  leading 
msmbers  being  taken  from  us.  Still  we  know  that  God  has  not 
left  us,  and  so  long  as  He  is  pleased  to  remain  with  us  we  shall 
do  well." 

The  Lord  did  remain  with  them.  Other  men  were 
brought  to  the  front,  and  the  good  work  suffered  no  detri- 
ment. The  meetings  continued  to  be  attended  by  large 
numbers,  and  others  were  converted. 

On  Sabbath,  the  9th,  I  preached  on  board  the  St. 
Louis,  from  Isaiah  Iv.  6,  7.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  manifestly 
present  to  own  the  word  and  to  convey  it  to  the  heart. 
Many  of  the  men  were  in  tears.      Rev.  Mr.  Stockbridge, 


LETTER    FROM    THE    ST.    LOUIS.  327 

who  ever  gave  us  his  warmest  sympathies,  and  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Hind,  of  the  Madras  mission,  were  present.  Two 
days  afterwards  I  supphed  the  men  v/ith  an  abundance 
of  rehgious  and  devotional  reading  matter  for  a  sea  stock. 
The  rehgious  services  of  their  new  ship  were  inaugurated 
by  a  prayer-meeting,  which  was  commenced  on  the  13  th, 
in  the  yeoman's  store-room.  The  condition  in  which 
these  brethren  were,  spiritually,  and  the  favorable  auspi- 
ces under  which  they  went  forth  to  their  briUiant,  but 
untried  future,  may  best  be  shown  by  quoting  a  letter, 
written  to  me  previous  to  their  departure,  by  one  of  their 
number  : 

"United  States  Ship  St.  Louis, 

''  Neiv  York,  Ja-a.  lyth,  18 sg. 
"Dear  Sir,  and  much  esteemed  Pastor — Now  that  we  are  about 
to  launch  out  into  the  deep,  to  leave  home,  and  friends,  for  far 
distant  lands  and  scenes,  permit  us  to  say  a  few  words  to  you 
before  we  part,  it  may  be,  in  the  providence  of  God,  never  to 
meet  again.  Many  of  us  who  address  you  now,  have  been  by 
the  grace  of  God,  through  your  instrumentality,  raised  from  the 
gall  of  bitterness  and  the  bonds  of  iniquity,  to  a  lively  hope,  that 
through  the  merits  of  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  sins 
have  been  pardoned.  And  oh,  dear  sir  !  how  much  have  we  to 
be  thankful  for,  to  God  and  to  you  !  May  he  reward  you  :  for, 
though  our  hearts  are  bounding  with  gratitude  to  you,  we  are 
pow^erless,  beyond  mere  words,  to  express  it.  Accept  then,  sir, . 
our  warmest,  our  heartfelt  expressions  of  gratitude  and  esteem, 
with  the  sincerest  hope  and  prayer  to  God  that  he  will  bless  you 
in  your  labors,  and  grant  you  many  souls  for  your  hire.  In  con- 
clusion, pray  for  us  ;  pray  for  the  infant  colony  which  you  have 
planted,  that  it  may  be  watered  by  the  blessing  of  God,  and 
bring  forth  fruit  abundantly  for  ths  harvest.  And  rest  assured 
that  our  feeble  prayers  are  ever  ascending  before  the  throne  of 
grace  for  you,   and  for  the  church  ;  and    oh,   may  God  in  his 


328  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

infinite  mercy  grant  that  we  may  all  be  spared  to  meet  again  <w 
His  table,  to  declare  the  wonders  that  he  doeth  for  the  child rt./i 
of  men.  So,  with  every  wish,  dear  sir,  for  your  happiness  and 
prosperity,  we  now  bid  you  an  affectionate  yet  sorrowing  fare- 
well." 

Signed  by  John  A.  Morris,  and  nine  others.  The  formal, 
and  to  many  of  the  crew  the  final  farewell,  was  a  very 
solemn  and  interesting  event.  The  men  gathered  around 
me  in  groups,  with  expressions  of  gratitude  and  with  tear- 
ful eyes.  As  we  grasped  hands,  we  mutually  pledged 
to  each  other  our  sympathies  and  our  prayers,  agree- 
ing to  correspond  frequently.  So  well  were  these  prom- 
ises kept  that  a  volume  of  no  ordinary  interest,  and  of  good 
proportions  might  be  made  from  the  inter-correspond- 
ence of  this  vessel  alone.  But,  leaving  the  St.  Louis 
and  her  Christian  band,  for  the  present,  to  continue  her 
course  toward  the  tropics,  I  will  lay  before  the  reader 
a  chronological  record  of  events  up  to  the  time  that  the 
several  drafts  were  sent  off  to  join  their  respective  ships, 
and  carry  the  good  word  of  life  forth  to  illumine  the 
heathen  world.  Thence,  I  may  return,  and  recount 
briefly  the  history  of  the  work  of  grace  in  each  of  the 
vessels,  from  the  records  on  hand.  Coming  back  then 
to  the  North  Carolina,  the  source  whence  these  vari- 
ous streams  of  Christian  influence  issued,  we  find  the 
good  work  progressing  favorably  among  the  many  left 
behind.  On  the  13th,  I  was  on  board,  and  conducted  a 
prayer-meeting,  at  which  eight  new  converts  testified 
to  the  abounding  grace  of  the  living  God,  as  manifested 
in  their  own  experience.  A  week  later,  1  led  another 
precious  meeting,  at  which  still  more  conversions  were 
reported,   the   progress   being  licalthy   and  without  any 


ORLOP    DECK    ILLUMINED.  329 

boisterousness  or  undue  excitement.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
orlop  deck,  usually  so  dark,  had  been  suddenly  illumined 
by  the  spirit  of  God.  It  was  truly  the  birth-place  of 
souls  unto  righteousness.  The  place  of  cursing  and 
other  works  of  darkness  had  become  vocal  with  songs 
of  praise  and  prayer.  On  the  24th,  ten  more  men  were 
examined  with  a  view  to  union  with  the  church.  Pray- 
er-meetings in  the  evening,  vigorous  and  vitahzed  by 
the  spirit  of  God. 

Captain  Ward  issued  an  order,  by  which  Rev.  Ira 
Steward,  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  myself,  were  alter- 
nately to  officiate  in  the  conducting  of  the  services.  On 
the  29th  visited  the  North  Carolina,  and  the  U.  S.  steamer 
Brooklyn.  Obtained  from  the  captain  of  the  last  named 
vessel,  permission  for  some  of  the  crew,  who  desired  it, 
to  worship  ashore,  on  the  Sabbath.  Found  in  her  purser 
a  devout  man  of  God,  whose  influence  was  of  incalculable 
benefit  to  the  believing  men  who  sailed  with  him,  in  se- 
curing for  them  facilities  for  conducting  their  meetings. 
On  the  30th  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  once  more  on 
board  the  North  Carohna.  Nine  more  of  her  seamen  were 
enrolled  on  our  church  books.  Prayed  the  Lord  that  I 
might  preach  this  day 

^ '  As  never  sure  to  preach  again, 
And  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men." 

On  the  2d  of  February,  the  Christian  workers  of  the 
''  old  North"  were  still  further  depleted  by  a  draft,  which 
was  ordered  to  join  the  U.  S.  steamer  Brooklyn,  leaving  a 
sufficient  number  behind,  however,  to  carry  on  the  work. 
Ten  of  these  were  members  of  our  church.  I  followed  the 
brethren  on  board  their  new  ship,  supplied  them  with 


330  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

books,  tracts,  and  other  reading  matter,  and  bade  them 
fareweU.  They  sailed  on  the  5th  for  the  southern  coast, 
whither  we  shall  follow  them  by-and-by. 

On  the  9th  preached  on  board  the  receiving  ship 
again.  Took  for  my  subject,  John  i.  29 :  '^  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 
Also  led  the  prayer- meeting  in  the  evening.  On  the 
15th,  one  of  the  brethren  wrote  : 

"  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  our  little  band  of  believers  is 
more  closely  bound  together  than  ever.  I  feel  that  it  will  give 
you  joy  to  know  that  we  are  living  together  in  brotherly  love  and 
unity.  Last  Sabbath  evening  was  the  happiest  I  have  ever  spent. 
We  conducted  the  service  ourselves,  and  I  sincerely  believe  that 
w^e  realized  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
brethren  were  all  engaged.  As  soon  as  one  had  finished  praying, 
another  was  on  his  knees.  Some  told  their  experience  of  temp- 
tations which  had  assailed  them,  but  expressed  the  purpose  to 
continue  faithful  to  the  end." 

On  the  1 8th,  again  preached  from  1st  Tim.  i.  15  :  ''This 
is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom 
I  am  chief"  On  the  27th  administered  the  Lord's 
Supper,  on  her  berth-deck,  and  had  one  of  the  largest  of 
all  the  large  meetings  we  have  ever  had  on  board  of  her. 
Received  three  more  of  her  recruits  into  the  church. 
The  wife  of  Captain  Ward — a  godly  woman — exhibited  a 
marvellous  interest  in  the  blessed  work.  She  looked  on 
the  men  with  a  kind  of  motherly  solicitude,  and  rejoiced 
to  hear  that  any  of  them  turned  from  sin  unto  God.  I  am 
satisfied  that  she  secured  for  us  many  privileges  which 
we  otherwise  might  not  have  enjoyed.  As  an  illustration 
of  the  effect  which  the   services  sometimes  produced  on 


SOURCE    OF    INSPIRATION.  33 1 

those  who  were  looking  on,  I   will  venture   to  quote  an 
entry  made  in  my  Journal  of  this  date  : 

' '  This  afternoon  I  preached  to  the  crew  of  the  receiving  ship, 
from  Matt.  xxv.  14-30,  the  parable  of  the  Talents.  Had  a  very- 
large  audience.  ]\Irs.  Ward  said  to  me  at  the  close  of  the  ser\ice, 
'  I  do  think,  Mr.  Jones,  that  you  are  inspired. '  I  will  not  say 
how  judicious  this  expression  of  her  feelings  was.  Yet  I  know 
that  in  a  certain  limited  and  restricted  sense  it  was  true.  For  I 
believe  that  I  spoke  as  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  me  utterance.  I 
know,  too,  that  I  earnestly  invoked  his  aid,  and  that  though  the 
press  of  duties  prevented  me  from  choosing  my  words  beforehand, 
my  sermon  was  by  no  means  unstudied." 

I  may  add,  the  remark  neither  flattered  nor  elated 
me,  but  enabled  me,  I  trust,  humbly  to  look  up  to  Him 
from  whom  all  inspiration  comes,  and  thank  Him  for  any 
of  those  qualifications  which  make  me  acceptable  in  my 
ministrations  to  the  men  of  the  sea.  I  only  hope  that  all 
I  do  may  redound  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  God,  in  the 
salvation  of  souls.  In  the  evening  I  preached  to  my  own 
people,  from  the  words,  *'  Go,  stand  and  speak  in  the 
temple,  to  the  people,  all  the  words  of  this  life,"  Acts  v. 
20.  The  people  were  intensely  interested.  Much  emo- 
tion elicited  toward  the  close.  The  large  audience  seemed 
to  be  moved  as  one  man,  and  tears  fell  from  many  eyes 
unused  to  weep.      May  God  add  his  blessing ! 

''March  ijih. — Four  sermons  to-day,  with  a  marriage  and  a 
baptism  between.  On  board  the  receiving  ship  in  the  afternoon, 
took  my  text  from  Phil.  iv.  19  :  '  Christ,  the  source  of  all  supply.' 
Almost  unfit  for  labor,  from  fatigue.  Yet  preached  with  much 
energy,  and,  I  trust,  with  faithfulness,  God  giving  both  strength 
and  words. 

"  ijfh, — In  bed  all  day  from  sheer  exhaustion  ;  body  and  soul 


332  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

taxed  to  the   utmost.      '  The   spirit  is  wilhng,  but   the   flesh   is 
weak. 

^'  22nd. — Cheering  letters  coming  in  from  every  side,  showing 
that  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  Oh,  my  Saviour,  keep 
me  near  thy  side  !  Help  me  to  preach  Christ  crucified  to  all, 
simply,  in  the  power  and  in  the  love  of  the  truth,  for  thine  own 
sake. " 

In  a  letter  received  this  evening  from  one  of  the  most 
useful  of  our  members,  on  board  the  North  Carolina,  the 
writer  says : 

'*  I  pray  fervently  that  I  may  be  prepared  for  the  solemn  hour 
of  death,  and  enabled  to  exclaim,  '  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  !' 
While  I  live  I  desire  to  be  a  burning  and  a  shining  light.  Oh, 
Mr.  Jones,  how  shall  I  express  my  thanks  to  you  for  turning  me 
from  the  horrible  and  dangerous  course  I  was  pursuing,  into  the 
way  of  life  !  I  thank  God,  that  in  his  divine  mercy,  he  sent  you 
on  board  this  ship,  to  point  me  to  the  Lamb  of  God.  I  thank 
God  that  1  can  say  at  last,  I  am  a  Christian.  By  the  help  of 
God  I  will  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith  manfully.  My  colors  are 
nailed  to  the  mast.  Believers  here  are  united  in  the  work,  and 
are  drawn  closer  to  each  other.  Having  tasted  the  sweets  of 
religion,  I  now  want  to  see  all  my  shipmates  share  them  with  me, 
and  I  pray  God  that  he  will  increase  our  numbers  here.  Since 
you  came  on  board  last,  we  have  had  two  or  three  more  come 
over  on  the  Lord's  side.  The  Spirit  is  still  striving  with  our 
shipmates.  I  think,  before  long,  we  shall  have  others  added  to 
our  numbers, " 

' '  April  is/.  — Addressed  the  theological  students  at  Princeton, 
on  the  promises  of  God  concerning  the  conversion  of  seamen, 
and  preached  in  the  chapel  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  evening  to  a  crowded  audience,  among  whom  were  some  of 
the  first  men  of  Princeton,  men  of  influence  from  abroad,  and 
many  students,  whose  term  of  study  expires  in  a  few  weeks. 
On  the  whole,  I  believe  God  will  bring  good  out  of  the  visit.     It 


CHEERING   LETTERS.  333 

has  been  to  me  a  very  pleasant  one.  I  have  been  permitted  to 
converse  with  some  of  those  who  labored  and  prayed  with  me  in 
the  days  of  the  revival  during  my  own  theological  course.  So 
that  though  I  have  not  rested  much,  I  feel  refreshed. 

"jrd/. — One  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  Man.  Monthly  con- 
cert.     House  crowded, — letters  from  the  sea  full  of  interest. 

''4th. — Addressed  the  congregation  of  the  Rev.  James  W. 
Alexander  at  their  monthly  concert  of  prayer.  House  full  ; 
read  letters  from  seamen. 

''  'jth. — Preparing  hymns  for  a  new  edition  of  Sailors'  Hymn- 
Book. 

"8/^. — ^Another  communication  from  the  North  Carolina, 
stated  that  there  were  two  more  young  men  who  were  waiting  for 
the  Communion  to  be  administered  on  board,  that  they  might 
sign  articles  in  the  good  ship  Zion,  and  take  Jesus  Christ  for 
their  Captain.  The  writer  adds,  '  I  thank  God  things  are  bright- 
ening up.  Our  meeting  last  night  was  like  old  times.  One 
more  soul  came  out  on  the  Lord's  side.  We  are  all  getting 
stronger.  I  do  believe  we  shall  soon  have  another  great  revival 
here.  Oh,  what  rejoicing  there  will  be  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  at  this  work  among  seamen  !  If  there  is  joy  over 
one  sinner  that  repents,  who  can  describe  the  effect  of  the  conver- 
sion of  so  many .?  While  I  write,  my  whole  soul  is  filled  with 
gladness,  and  with  love  for  my  ]\Iaster. ' 

'*  13th. — Made  an  address  at  the  Cooper  Institute  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  Forty-first  Anniversary  of  the  New  York  Port  Society. 
Spoke  forty-five  minutes.  Drs.  William  Adams  and  Plumer  of 
South  Carolina,  addressed  the  people. 

''  lyth. — Administered  the  Lord's  Supper  on  the  berth-deck 
of  the  North  Carolina.  In  the  evening  preached  at  home 
from  the  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,  *  God  be  mer- 
ciful to  me,  a  sinner.'  Luke  xviii.  13.  House  full.  Believe 
much  good  was  done, — many  touched. 

''  igth. — The  P.ev.  Mr.  Swancy,  who  sails  to-morrow  for 
Callao,   to  preach  to  seamen  there,   called  on  me  to-day  to  ex- 


334  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

amine  my  records,   and  learn  how  I  kept  them.        Gave  him 
ever)'  faciUty. 

''Sunday,  241/1. — On  board  the  receiving  ship,  preached  a 
farewell  sermon  to  the  men,  who  are  drafted  for  the  African 
Squadron  and  the  China  seas.  They  leave  all  these  privileges 
in  a  few  days.  Many  of  them  are  new  converts.  My  text  was 
from  Heb.  x.  35-39  :  'Cast  not  away  therefore  your  confi- 
dence, which  hath  great  recompense  of  reward. '  For  ye  have 
need  of  patience,  that  after  ye  have  done  the  will  of  God  ye 
might  receive  the  promises.  For  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  that 
shall  come,  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry.  Now  the  just  shall 
live  by  faith  :  but  if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no 
pleasure  in  him.  But  we  are  not  of  them  who  draw  back  unto 
perdition  :  but  of  them  that  believe  to  the  saving  of  the  soul." 

It  was  a  sad,  and  yet  a  joyful  farewell.  Sad,  because  it 
was  morally  certain  that  most  of  us  would  never  meet 
again  on  this  side  the  judgment  seat.  Yet  joyful,  when 
the  changed  condition  of  so  many  was  considered.  They 
were  going  forth  to  trials,  and  cares,  and  anxieties  that 
were  new  to  them,  it  is  true ;  but  they  were  going  forth 
panoplied  for  the  conflict,  and  armed  with  the  assurance 
that  they  had  Omniscience  for  their  guide,  and  Omnipo- 
tence for  their  strength. 

Many  of  the  poor  fellows  wept  while  I  was  addressing 
them,  in  view  of  their  near  departure.  It  was  announced 
that  they  were  to  leave  on  the  27th.  I  had  selected  this 
passage  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  their  minds  with 
the  necessity  of  entire  and  unwavering  confidence  in  God. 
They  all  appeared  fully  to  appreciate  my  solicitude  for 
their  spiritual  welfare,  and  my  desire  to  do  them  good. 
Many  gave  expression  to  their  warm  attachment  to  their 
pastor  and  to  their  fellow  church  members,  with  whom 
they  had  so  recently  been  brought  into  such  pleasing  rela- 


FAREWELL    SERVICES.  335 

tions.  On  the  25  th  I  visited  them  again,  provided  them 
with  a  supply  of  suitable  literature,  and  presented  to 
each  of  the  thirty-two  members  of  our  church,  a  selected 
package  of  stationery,  containing  pens,  ink,  paper,  and 
envelopes  ;  thus  insuring  the  necessary  supply  of  material 
for  future  correspondence.  They  were  evidently,  both 
surprised  and  gratified ;  for  there  are  times  when  such 
supplies  cannot  be  procured  for  either  love  or  money. 
Two  days  before  the  draft  left  the  ship  I  received  from  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  brotherhood  a  letter,  in 
which  he  says ; 

"  We  are  soon  to  leave  this  ship,  and  it  is  my  earnest  prayer 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  go  with  us,  and  in  his  infinite  mercy 
make  us  the  humble  instruments  in  his  hands  of  bringing  many 
of  our  shipmates  into  the  fold  of  God.  For  myself,  I  may  say, 
that  with  the  help  of  God,  I  am  resolved  to  buckle  on  the  whole 
armor  of  God,  and  to  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  looking  for- 
ward and  not  backward,  and  pressing  toward  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  If  we  are  mer- 
cifully spared  to  return  from  this  cruise,  I  hope  we  may  bring  our 
sheaves  with  us.  If  we  should  not  meet  again  on  earth,  then 
may  we  all  meet  in  heaven,  to  part  no  more,  where  we  shall 
attune  our  harps,  and  sing  praises  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
take  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  Commend  us  to  all  the  brethren 
and  sisters  in  the  church,  and  say  '  Good-bye '  for  us.  Pray  for 
^the  North  Carolina  to-morrow  night." 

Wednesday  the  27th  was  one  of  the  decisive  days  in 
the  history  of  these  men.  The  draft  of  several  hundred 
recruit  .vhich  had  been  told  off  for  Boston,  where  the 
severa  /essels  to  which  they  were  to  be  assigned  were 
fitting  out,  was  to  leave  on  the  morrow  by  steamer,  ac- 
companied   by  Lieut.   WilHamson,  in  command,   and  a 


33^  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

corps  of  officers  as  his  aids.  A  farewell  service  was  there- 
fore held  in  the  orlop  this  evening.  It  was  indeed  a 
spiritual  feast  to  us  all.  It  is  described  below  by  one 
who  participated  in  it.  I  made  a  brief  parting  address. 
Much  emotion  was  manifested.  It  was  a  place  and  time 
of  weeping.  Dry  eyes  were  the  exception,  tears  the  rule. 
Is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  that  even  strong  men  wept  under 
such  circumstances?  They  had  been  inducted  into  an 
entirely  new  life.  The  course,  as  it  lay  before  them,  was 
all  untried.  They  had  been  largely  helped  by  advice 
and  counsel  of  Cliristian  brethren.  They  had  been  for  the 
first  few  weeks  under  pastoral  supervision  and  instruction 
in  spiritual  things.  Now  they  were  about  to  leave  all  these 
advantages  and  be  thrown  in  a  great  measure  on  their 
own  resources.  They  were  not  only  leaving  the  birth- 
place of  their  souls  unto  righteousness,  their  pastor,  and 
all  their  new  found  friends  and  brethren  in  Christ,  but  in 
a  few  days  were  to  be  separated  from  each  other.  Some 
to  the  U.  S.  ships  Constellation,  Portsmouth,  Saratoga 
and  San  Jacinto,  composing  the  African  squadron,  to  be 
scattered  up  and  down  the  sickly  slave  coast,  and  others 
to  the  U.  S.  frigate  Hartford,  to  cruise  in  the  muddy 
waters  of  the  Ho-ang-ho,  and  do  battle  with  the  typhoons 
of  the  China  Sea.  I  would  have  gladly  accompanied 
them  on  their  passage  to  Boston,  could  I  have  done  so. 
Yet  I  am  glad  that  I  did  not.  Had  I  been  with  them,  the 
extemporized  religious  service  held  by  them  on  the  way, 
might  have  been  considered  as  a  result  of  my  prompting. 
As  it  was,  the  idea  originated  among  themselves.  But 
as  I  could  not  go  with  them,  I  sent  a  letter  of  counsel 
and  comfort  after  them. 

On  their  arrival  in  Boston,  on  Friday  evening,  they 


CHEERFUL   RESPONSE.  ^^y 

were  transferred  to  the  receiving  ship  Ohio.  My  letter 
reached  them  on  Saturday  morning,  and  was  at  once  ac- 
knowledged in  the  following  communication  from  Jos.  B. 
Lyons,  one  of  the  converts — a  member  of  my  church,  of 
whom  I  shall  speak  at  length  in  another  place. 

"U.   S.   Receiting  Ship  Ohio, 

''Boston,  April  joth,  i^SQ- 
"■  My  Dear  Pastor — Your  welcome  letter  came  to  hand  this 
morning.  Many  thanks  for  its  contents !  We  arrived  here 
about  5  o'clock  last  evening,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  there  are  a 
thousand  conjectures  about  what  is  to  be  done  with  us.  We  had 
a  remarkably  pleasant  passage.  Nothing  occurred  to  mar  the 
harmony  and  good  will  of  the  company,  for  the  reason  that  there 
was  no  rum  on  board.  We  had,  however,  instead,  through  the 
kindness  of  the  captain  of  the  boat,  influenced  by  our  first  Lieu- 
tenant, J.  C.  Williamson,  who  was  in  command  of  the  draft,  a 
splendid  meeting  on  the  way.  The  cabin  of  the  steamer  was 
converted  into  the  house  of  God,  and  God  grant  that  the  im- 
pression made  on  those  present,  may  be  deep  and  lasting. 
There  were  men  among  us  who  came  round  in  the  draft  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty  from  Boston  to  New  York,  last  November, 
who  were  at  that  t".me,  among  the  vilest  of  the  vile,  but  who  are 
now  soldiers  of  Christ,  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  cross. 
The  evening  of  the  27th  will  never  be  forgotten  by  any  of  us,  you 
may  rest  assured.  I  do  not  desire  ever  to  pass  through  so  trying 
a  scene  again.  I  never  in  my  life  felt  so  much  grief  at  parting, 
as  on  that  occasion,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  write  the  true  senti-\ 
ments  of  those  present  in  saying  the  same.  We  often  referred  to 
it  on  our  passage.  You  may  be  assured,  our  dear  pastor  and 
friend,  that  it  will  always  remain  fresh  in  our  memories.  As  you 
have  truly  remarked  in  your  letter,  we  are  going  out  as  mis- 
sionaries in  the  cause  of  our  Great  Redeemer.  I  know  the  inter- 
est you,  and  all  the  brethren  and  friends  feel  in  us.  We  have  left 
the  home  of  our  nciv  birth.  The  North  Carolina  has  been  a 
22 


338  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

school,  and  we  are  now  sent  out  to  fight  the  great  fight  of  faith. 
God  grant  that,  if  we  are  destined  to  fall,  it  may  be  with  our  face 
to  the  foe  !  We  know  that  we  have  your  prayers,  and  those  of  a 
thousand  others.  If  we  do  but  put  our  trust  in  Him,  who  never 
forsakes  his  own,  all  will  be  well.  That  we  may  all  continue  stead- 
fast, has  been,  and  shall  be,  my  constant  prayer.  All  join  in 
sending  their  best  love  to  Mrs.  Jones  and  the  children,  and  to  the 
brethren  and  sisters  of  the  church. 

''].  B.  L." 

That  these  beloved  brethren  were  fully  alive  to  the 
responsibilities  of  their  position  ;  that  the  burden  of  souls 
rested  upon  them,  and  that  they  appreciated  the  impor- 
tance of  the  new  relations  into  which  they  had  entered 
toward  God,  and  toward  their  fellow-men,  will  appear 
from  their  communications  to  me  on  the  subject,  and  be 
illustrated  by  the  zeal  and  earnestness  with  which  they 
sought  out  opportunities  for  doing  good,  and  the  readi- 
ness with  which  they  availed  themselves  of  the  facilities 
afforded  them  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  and 
glory  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  27th  of  April,  1859,  ^^'^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^  memorable  day 
in  the  history  of  the  work  of  grace  among  the  men  of  the 
sea,  because  it  was  then,  by  the  distribution  of  these  con- 
verted men-of-war's  men,  that  moral  forces  were  set  in 
motion,  which  have  continued,  with  more  or  less  of  their 
native  vigor,  ever  since,  centres  of  Christian  influence, 
from  which  the  Divine  light  radiated  in  every  direction, 
and  will  continue  to  radiate  till  time  shall  cease  to  be, 
were  then  called  into  being.  New  springs  of  Divine 
grace  were  opened  up  in  human  hearts,  and  new  streams 
flowed  forth  to  irrigate  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  Spirit- 
ual agencies  were  multiplied,  and  called  into  activity,  the 


NEW    SPrUNGS    OPENED.  339 

pulsations  of  which,  under  the  sanctifying  energy  and 
direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  were  communicated  from 
heart  to  heart  —  from  ship  to  ship  —  from  sea  to 
sea — and  from  shore  to  shore,  until  civilization  every- 
where marvelled  at  the  spectacle  of  sailors,  hitherto 
looked  upon,  by  too  many,  as  the  offscouring  of  the  earth, 
men  who  had  polluted  the  soil  of  every  land  with  their 
blasphemies,  their  drunken  orgies,  and  their  practical 
abjuration  of  the  principles  and  precepts  of  the  moral  law 
— now  preaching  Christ  the  crucified  one,  and  practicing 
his  love  in  the  daily  duties  of  their  calling  ; — making 
cabin  and  forecastle,  wardroom  and  berth- deck  vocal 
with  prayer  and  songs  of  devotion.  Heathenism,  too, 
wondered  and  pondered,  when  they  saw,  coming  up  from 
the  sea,  to  their  shores — men,  who  had  so  long  and  so 
fatally  caricatured  Christianity,  of  which  they  were  too 
often  the  only  living  representatives,  now  walking  the 
streets  sober  and  peaceable,  clothed,  and  in  their  right 
minds,  and  in  some  instances  converting  the  temples  of 
idolatry  into  places  of  worship  to  the  divine  Christ,  mak- 
ing the  very  rafters  ring,  as  did  the  Christian  sailors  of 
the  U.  S.  steamer  Niagara  in  Japan,  with  hymns  of  praise 
to  the  living  God. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

OUTSIDE      TESTIMONY. 

Chaplain  Charles  S.  Stewart,  U.  S.  N, — Awakening  without  a  parallel — 
But  one  testimony — First  experience — Simplicity  in  prayer — Bands  of 
praying  men — Meeting  of  the  27th  of  April  described — Mrs.  Ward  and 
son — Utterance  choked  by  emotion — Wonderful  scene — Ground  of  confi- 
dence— Noticeable  sign  of  the  times-Pastor's  report — Chaplain  Stock- 
bridge's  testimony— Navy  feeling  the  awakening — A  naval  officer — Old 
Slip  meeting — Singular  unanimity — Genuineness  of  the  work — Wide  dis- 
persion  of  the  converts — Individual  experiences — "I  grasped  the  life 
buoy  " — Out  of  the  pit — Severe  lesson — Gave  myself  away  to  God — Steer 
by  the  Bible — God  had  mercy  on  me — My  struggle. 

The  27th  of  April,  1859,  was  a  memorable  day  in  the 
calendar  of  the  converts  of  the  North  Carolina,  a  day 
which  seems  to  have  been  looked  upon  as  that  in  which 
the  most  blessed  of  all  the  blessed  seasons  in  that  remark- 
able revival  reached  its  climax.  In  that  particular  it 
served  as  a  standard  of  measure  by  which  to  gauge  all 
subsequent  manifestations  of  the  divine  spirit  Those 
dear  brethren  looked  back  to  it,  as  the  early  Christians 
did  to  the  season  of  Pentecost.  It  is  on  this  account 
that  we  find  the  disciples  on  board  the  Hartford,  Niagara, 
and  other  vessels  of  war,  when  they  experienced  some 
special  season  of  delight,  some  joyous  occasion,  when 
their  hearts  were  melted  with  love,  comparing  it  to  the 
27th  of  April,  when  they  took  their  farewell  of  the  birth- 
place of  their  souls  unto  righteousness.  I  cannot  do  bet- 
340 


I  CHAPLAIN   CHARLES    S.    STEWART.  34 1 

ter,  therefore,  at  this  point,  than  to  present  the  description 
of  that  scene,  as  witnessed  by  the  Rev.  Charles  S.  Stewart, 
Chaplain  U.  S.  Navy,  v/ho  had  the  opportunity  of  trac- 
ing the  progress  of  the  blessed  work  which  I  have  but 
faintly  described  in  the  preceding  pages.  At  the  time  of 
the  inception  of  this  gracious  revival,  and  for  some  months 
afterwards,  he  was  on  waiting  orders,  and  had  ample  op- 
portunity to  judge  of  the  genuineness  of  the  work,  the 
heartiness  with  which  it  was  conducted,  and  the  precious- 
ness  of  the  accrued  results.  The  date  of  the  letter  was 
April  30th,  1859,  three  days  after  the  memorable  farewell 
at  which  he  was  present.  His  view  of  the  matter  is  thus 
stated : 

' '  Dear  Sir — The  interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  which  is 
known  to  have  existed  for  many  months  past  among  the  recruits 
on  board  the  receiving  ship  North  Carolina,  at  the  Navy  Yard 
in  New  York,  justly  claims,  it  is  thought,  a  place  in  the  records 
of  the  Port  Society.  Its  origin  as  a  human  agency  is  traceable  to 
the  fidelity  and  zeal  of  a  member  of  the  Mariners'  church, 
founded  and  sustained  by  that  body  ;  and  its  results,  thus  far, 
have,  through  the  grace  of  God,  already  added  sixty-five  con- 
verted seamen  to  her  communion.  It  is  this  view  of  the  subject 
that  leads  me,  sir,  tq  address  you  the  following  statement  in 
regard  to  it.  Though  not  at  present  on  duty  myself,  under  orders 
of  Government,  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  associated  volun- 
tarily with  my  brother  in  the  naval  service,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stock- 
bridge,  the  chaplain  of  the  North  Carolina,  more  or  less  fre- 
quently for  months  past  in  the  daily  evening  meetings  held  on 
board,  and  in  preaching  informally  to  the  throng  of  eager  listen- 
ers attending  them.  I  thus  write  from  personal  observation.  As^ 
a  work  of  grace,  this  awakening  is  without  parallel,  to.  the  best  of 
my  knowledge,  in  the  moral  history  of  the  na\^.  cu:  \he  reli^io.u^  { 
annals  of  the  sea.     The  detail  of  the  many  Incidents  of  affecting 


343  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

interest  connected  with  it  might  readily  be  expanded  into  a  vol- 
ume. From  the  beginning,  it  has  been  marked  by  one  or  two 
features  characteristic  of  the  revivals  of  the  present  day  ;  one,  the 
human  agency  by  which  it  was  developed,  that  of  private  Chris- 
tians united  in  prayer,  and  in  personal  effort  for  the  salvation  of 
liose  around  them.  Another,  the  unity  of  spirit  with  which  the 
\  ork  has  been  carried  on,  irrespective  of  the  denominational  dif- 
ferences, and  varied  church  memberships  of  the  agents. " 

After  briefly  relating  the  history  of  the  work,  as  has 
been  already  done  in  another  place,  he  proceeds  to  say : 

*'  The  opening  of  such  a  meeting  by  a  litde  band  of  sailors  on 
board  of  a  man-of-war,  was  indeed  a  novel  spectacle.  Knowing 
the  spot  allotted  to  them  and  its  surroundings  as  well  as  I  do,  in 
picturing  to  myself  the  group  thus  gathered  for  prayer,  in  an  ob- 
scure nook  of  the  lowest  deck  of  a  ship  of  the  line,  far  below  the 
water  mark,  amid  darkness,  which  the  light  of  a  single  battle 
lantern  only  made  more  visible,  I  have  been  led  involuntarily 
to  assimilate  the  scene  to  the  worship  of  a  like  number  of  primi- 
tive Christians  in  the  seclusion  and  dim  obscurity  of  a  catacomb. 
It  can  readily  be  imagined,  that  it  was  with  wonder,  that  the  first 
words  of  prayer,  and  the  first  song  of  praise  from  such  a  place, 
rose  to  the  ears,  and  fell  upon  the  hearts  of  the  careless  and  un- 
godly men  on  deck  above. 

'*  One  and  another  of  these  were  quickly  attracted  to  the  spot, 
some  in  surprise,  some  in  curiosity,  and  some  in  sport,  till  in  a 
few  evenings  the  number  was  increased  from  four  to  eight  and 
twelve,  and  twenty  to  fifty,  and  a  crowd  the  place  could  not  hold. 
It  was  soon  evident  that  '  praying  breath  '  there  had  not  been 
spent  in  vain,  and  that  the  spirit  of  the  Most  High  was  in  their 
midst,  awakening  the  consciences,  and  touching  the  hearts  of  the 
sturdy  men  around.  Night  after  night,  one  and  another,  even  of 
those  who  came  to  the  meeting  to  laugh  and  deride,  left,  only  to 
weep  and  to  pray,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  chaplain  of  the 
ship  and  the  respective  pastors  of  the  original  little  flock  were 


SIMPLICITY    IX    PRAYER.  343 

called  from  the  shore  to  aid  in  guiding  numbers  of  repentant  sin- 
ners in  the  way  of  salvation.  Cases  of  hopeful  conversion  began 
soon  to  occur.  Within  the  first  six  weeks  the  number  of  these 
amounted  to  more  than  fifty,  and  they  have  continued  still  to 
occur  till  the  whole  number  now  exceeds  hundreds.  A  majority 
of  these  are  young  men  from  eighteen  to  thirty  years  of  age,  the 
hardiest  of  the  ship's  company.  Some  who  were  ringleaders  in 
sin  are  now  examples  of  piety  and  usefulness. 

* '  The  interest  of  these  meetings  in  the  earnestness,  solemnity 
and  deep  feeling  characterizing  them,  can  be  hardly  overstated. 
Any  description  of  them  would  fail  in  conveying  the  impressions 
received  by  an  eye-witness.  This  is  especially  true  of  those  in 
the  earlier  period  of  the  revival,  when  the  manifestations  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  the  power  of  His  word  and  spirit  upon  the  hearts 
of  these  hardy  men,  had  all  the  freshness  of  novelty.  But  at  all 
times  there  has  been,  I  believe,  but  one  testimony  given  by  every 
Christian  who  has  had  the  privilege  of  attending  them.  As  to  the 
spiritual  benefit  to  his  own  soul,  derived  from  the  prayers  and  ex- 
hortations and  songs  of  praise  of  these  new-born  disciples,  I  can- 
not myself  soon  forget  my  first  evening  among  them.  The  meet- 
ing was  already  begun  when  I  arrived,  and  it  was  slowly  and  with 
difiiculty  that  I  made  my  way  through  the  crowd,  swaying  from 
side  to  side  in  the  endeavor  to  make  room  for  me  along  the  fore- 
passage  of  the  orlop,  to  a  seat  at  the  far  end.  On  gaining  this, 
and  turning  round,  the  whole  place  was  seen  to  be  filled  with 
stalwart  men,  clustered  in  every  available  spot,  like  bees  in  a 
swarm,  while  hundreds  of  eager  eyes,  and  earnest  faces,  spoLe  a 
w  jlcome  to  one  coming  to  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ; 
and  when  it  was  said  soon  afterwards  by  one  of  their  number, 
'Let  us  pray,'  as  my  eyes  fell  on  those  immediately  around  me,  I 
saw  such  crouching  attitudes  of  self-abasement  before  G;)d, 
wherever  space  allowed,  that  made  me  feel  that  I  had  never  my- 
self yet  taken  a  posture  of  true  humiliation  in  prayer. 

"As  to  the  prayers  themselves,  no  gracious  heart  could  resist 
Ihe  sympathetic  and  spiritual  influence  of  such  petitions  of  child- 


344  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

like  simplicity,  penitential  importunity,  and  new-born  love,  or 
remain  unmoved  by  the  hearty  songs  of  praise,  or  untouched  by 
the  point,  and  not  unfrequently  the  power  of  the  appeals  of  the 
converted  to  their  impenitent  shipmates.  I  have  known  noth- 
ing in  my  experience  as  a  Christian,  and  as  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  more  affecting  than  the  sight  of  such  men,  many  of 
them  giants  in  frame,  as  well  as  in  past  sin,  in  the  exercises  of 
penitent  faith  and  love.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  and  should  be 
the  subject  of  thanksgiving,  that  this  work  of  grace  has  occurred 
on  board  a  receiving  ship,  from  which  men  are  constantly  being 
drafted  to  other  ships.  Thus,  these  converted  sailors  will  event- 
ually be  widely  scattered  throughout  the  naval  service,  and  if 
converts  indeed,  will  carry  with  them  the  leaven  of  grace  in  a 
goodly  example,  and  in  a  spirit  of  prayer  wherever  they  go. 

"Within  the  three  months  past,  three  Government  vessels 
have  sailed  from  New  York  on  foreign  duty,  carrying  with  them 
each  a  band  of  praying  men  from  the  North  Carolina,  and  it  is 
now  but  two  days  since  the  whole  body  of  church  members  on 
board  of  her — except  five,  were  transferred  to  Boston  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  the  naval  vessels  now  fitting  our  there  for  differ- 
ent squadrons  in  the  service.  The  religious  interest  among 
these  continued  in  all  its  freshness.  The  daily  evening  meetings 
were  ever  attended  with  quickening  power  and  refreshing  grace. 
Each  successive  one  seemed  better  than  that  preceding  it,  and 
that  which  was  indeed  the  last  to  many  proved  best  of  all.  It  oc- 
curred on  the  27th  inst,  the  night  before  the  draft  for  Boston 
embarked,  and  will  not  soon  be  forgotten  by  any  one  who  was 
present.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Stockbridge,  the  chaplain,  was  un- 
avoidably absent,  but  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jones  of  the  Mariners' 
church,  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr.  Baldwin  of  the  Port  Society,  young 
Mr.  Eastman,  of  the  American  Tract  Society,  Mrs.  Ward,  the 
wife  of  Captain  Ward,  the  commander  of  the  North  Carolina,  who 
has  apartments  on  board,  and  who  has  taken  the  liveliest  interest 
in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  crew  ;  young  Mr.  Ward,  her  son, 
and  myself  were  there.     This  party  clustered  around  the  water- 


UTTERANCE   CHOKED    BY   EMOTION.  34$ 

butt,  as  a  reading-table,  forming  the  central  group  in  the  place 
where  prayer  has  now  so  long  been  wont  to  be  made,  in  the  very 
depths  of  the  ship,  on  the  orlop-deck. 

"While  the  church  members  and  more  serious  of  the  ship's 
company,  to  the  number  of  a  hundred,  perhaps,  were  seated 
closely  by  us  on  every  side,  the  ladders  leading  to  the  deck 
above,  and  overlooking  the  scene,  were  crowded  by  '  outsiders, ' 
as  the  careless  and  unimpressed  are  technically  called,  while 
groups  of  these,  also,  standing  thickly  on  either  side  of  the 
hatchway,  filled  up  the  space  that  was  left. 

''Warm  brotherly  love,  and  deep  tenderness  of  heart  seemed 
to  be  the  predominating  feelings  among  the  professed  followers 
of  the  Lord,  and  the  meeting  was  scarcely  commenced  before 
the  remembrance  and  associations  of  the  past  winter,  in  all  that 
had  been  witnessed  and  experienced  by  us  there,  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  this  would  be  the  last  time  we  should  ever  be  assem- 
bled thus  together,  became  too  much  for  the  sympathies  and 
even  for  the  manliness  of  nerve  of  many.  The  lips  of  the  har- 
diest faltered,  and  their  cheeks  were  bedewed  with  tears,  as  one 
after  another  they  arose  to  bear  a  last  testimony  in  the  place  of 
their  spiritual  birth,  to  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  love  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  to  give  a  parting  exhortation  to  their  unconverted 
shipmates,  or  to  plead  once  more  in  prayer  for  all  needed  grace 
for  themselves,  and  for  all  present.  The  exercises  were  prolong- 
ed far  beyond  the  accustomed  hour,  and  when — in  being  closed 
at  last,  by  a  brief  and  touching  address  from  Mr.  Jones,  the  be- 
loved pastor  of  a  majority  of  the  church  members,  whose  own 
utterance  was  choked  by  emotion,  the  frame  of  many  a  young 
Hercules  around  was  seen  to  shake  like  an  aspen  leaf,  while 
sobs,  ineffectually  suppressed,  burst  from  many  a  manly  bosom, 
and  tears  flowed  freely  on  every  side  from  eyes  unused  to  weep. 
I  never  before  witnessed  such  a  scene  of  conflicting  feelings  in  a 
company  of  sturdy  men. 

' '  The  pervading  sentiments  were,  gratitude  to  God  for  his 
grace  and  mercy,  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  the  sinner's  friend, 


346  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

joy  in  th3  hop3  of  salvation,  and  the  blessedness  of  eternal  life, 
and  unfeigned  sorrow  of  soul  for  the  words  that  were  spoken, 
that  we  should  see  each  others'  face  no  more  in  this  place,  which 
had  so  often  been  to  us  none  other  than  the  house  of  God,  and 
the  veiy  gate  of  heaven.  The  next  day  the  whole  draft  was  on  its 
way  to  Boston." 

As  Rev.  Charles  S.  Stewart  had  been  for  many  years  a 
chaplain  in  the  Navy,  and  had  therefore  large  acquaintance 
vi^ith  these  men  of  the  sea,  which,  together  with  his  mis- 
sionary experience  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  enabled  him 
to  speak  with  confidence  of  the  character  of  this  work, 
and  of  the  features  of  the  new  spiritual  life,  as  shown  by 
contact  with  the  men  in  their  every- day  hfe,  I  will  add 
his  estimate  of  the  genuineness  and  permanence  of  the 
effects  of  this  awakening,  as  they  appeared  to  his  enlight- 
ened judgment.      He  says: 

' '  There  is  great  reason,  I  think,  for  confidence  in  the  sincerity, 
and  stability  of  purpose  of  a  majority  of  these  professed  converts. 
Ivlany  of  them  have  already  remained  for  months,  not  only  un- 
shaken and  steadfast  in  the  midst  of  much  persecution  and  temp- 
tation, but  have  become  manifestly  greatly  confirmed  in  faith  and 
hope.  They  have  not  only  lived  consistently  and  blamelessly  in 
the  eyes  of  all,  but  have  become  practiced  in  the  exercise  of 
prayer  and  exhortation  among  their  fellows,  and  are  otherwise 
qualified  to  be  leaders  in  meetings  of  devotion,  and  faithful  laborers 
in  the  cause  of  good  morals  and  personal  piety.  They  are  deeply 
sensible  of  the  duty  of  boldly  avowing  the  profession  they  have 
made,  and  of  being  everywhere  active  workers  in  the  cause  of 
Christ.  We  are  encouraged  to  hope  much  from  their  influence 
in  these  respects,  from  the  fact  that  good  tidings  are  reaching  us, 
of  the  successful  efforts  of  some  of  the  subjects  of  this  revival,  w^ho 
have  preceded  these  abroad,  in  persuading  those  with  whom  they 
are  associated,  to  follow  their  example  in  a  life  of  faith  and  good 


PASTOR'S    REPORT.  347 

works.  These  too,  banded  together  in  grace  and  love,  are  now 
gone  forth  with  the  full  purpose  of  doing  the  works  of  righteous- 
ness to  others.  Intelligence  already  comes  to  us  that  the  night 
they  were  on  their  way  to  Boston,  they  solicited  the  first  Lieuten- 
ant Williamson,  who  had  the  draft  in  charge,  to  use  his  influence 
with  the  captain  of  the  steamboat,  by  which  they  were  conveyed, 
for  the  privilege  of  holding  their  accustomed  evening  prayer-meet- 
ing. This  was  not  only  cheerfully  granted,  but  the  captain  and 
officers  of  the  boat,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Na\y  on  board,  were 
present  in  the  saloon  assigned  for  the  purpose,  while  for  an  hour 
or  more  the  waters  of  the  Sound  were  made  vocal  with  the  songs 
of  praise,  and  were  hallowed  by  the  prayers  of  this  company  of 
men-of-war's  men. 

"  It  is  a  sign  of  the  times  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  command- 
ers and  officers  of  such  ships  in  the  Navy,  as  have  comi panics  of 
these  professed  Christians  on  board,  have  extended  to  them,  so 
far  as  is  known,  the  privilege  of  holding  a  daily  prayer-meeting. 
Let  all  who  love  our  common  Lord  and  Saviour,  pray  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  may  go  with,  and  ever  abide  with  them. 
' '  Yours,  dear  sir,  very  truly, 

"C.  S.  Stewart,  i\  S.  Navy.'' 

It  was  in  this  month  of  April,  1859,  that  I  was  per- 
mitted to  report  as  a  matter  of  thanksgiving  to  God,  and 
congratulation  among  ourselves,  that  our  church  was 
represented  by  its  converts,  or  by  its  active  members, 
on  board  the  U.  S.  ships  Wabash,  Sabine,  Roanoke,  St. 
Louis,  Savannah,  Brooklyn,  Decatur,  Ohio,  Levant, 
Pennsylvania,  North  Carolina,  store-ship  Relief,  and  rev- 
enue cutter  Corwin  ;  vv^ith  the  prospect  of  adding  in  a  few 
days  the  Constellation,  Portsmouth,  Saratoga,  San 
Jacinto,  and  Hartford  to  the  number,  all  of  whom,  we 
have  good  evidence,  are  men  of  earnest,  prayerful  Christ- 
ian efforts ;  men  who  feel  it  not  only  a  duty,  but  a  priv- 


348  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

ilege  to  labor  for  Christ,  and  to  follow  him,  "  through  evil 
report  and  through  good  report." 

On  board  the  Savannah,  the  St.  Louis,  the  City  of 
Brooklyn,  the  North  Carolina,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Wabash, 
the  daily  prayer-meeting  is  maintained,  and  from  all  the 
above  named,  the  voice  of  prayer  daily  ascends  from  the 
mess-room  of  the  officers,  and  from  the  berth-deck,  to  the 
ear  of  God,  v/ho  never  suffers  himself  to  be  importuned  in 
vain.  Who  shall  measure  the  influence  of  these  men  ? 
Who  shall  predict  the  result  of  this  little  leaven  on  the 
whole  lump  of  ungodliness,  in  the  midst  of  which  it 
is  cast  ?  We  are  hearing  also  of  daily  meetings  for 
prayer  and  religious  conference  on  board  ships  in  the 
West  Indies,  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  in  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

On  the  departure  of  the  Sabine,  which  vessel  I  had 
faithfully  visited,  provided  her  with  religious  reading 
matter  in  abundance,  and  had  preached  to,  and  privately 
conversed  with  her  officers  and  crew,  a  blessed  work 
of  grace  was  carried  forward  on  board.  Rev.  Joseph 
Stockbridge  wrote  to  me,  saying  : 

"The  na\y  is  feeling  the  influence  of  the  great  awakening. 
Sailors  are  being  converted,  and  are  permitted  to  labor  among 
their  shipmates.  We  have  supplied  three  ships  with  little  bands 
of  sailor  missionaries,  and  they  have  gone  to  their  different  squad- 
rons. I  hope  and  pray  that  we  may  be  so  blessed  on  board 
this  ship,  that  every  draft  of  men  shall  have  in  it  praying  sailors. " 

With  reference  to  this  ship,  the  Sabine,  I  may  state 
that  in  an  interview  had  with  her  executive  officer,  the 
Sabbath  before  she  sailed,  I  put  this  question  to  him  : 
"  You  have  heard  the  objection  raised  with  reference  to 
religious  men  on  board  ships-of-war.     Is  there,  in  your 


NAVY   FEELING   THE   AWAKENING.  349 

estimation,  any  good  ground  for  them  ?  "  He  respond- 
ed, *'  I  have  been  in  the  Navy  twenty  years,  and  before 
that  was  master  in  the  merchant  service.  A  pious  sailor 
first  drew  my  attention  to  things  of  a  spiritual  nature.  I 
was  in  the  habit  of  cursing  when  I  came  on  deck,  and  saw 
anything  going  wrong,  and  one  morning,  as  I  was  indulg- 
ing in  my  usual  practice,  my  chief-mate,  with  a  polite 
bow,  said  to  me  :  '  Suppose  the  Lord  had  taken  you  at 
your  word,  sir.  Where  would  you  have  been  now  ?  ' 
I  said,  "'  in  hell'  From  that  hour  I  have  endeavored  to 
avoid  using  improper  language.  I  am  not  a  professing 
Christian,  but  I  desire  to  be  one,  and  I  may  say  to  you, 
that  the  best  men  in  our  Navy  are  the  men  who  love  God." 
The  letters  coming  to  me  from  sailors  are  of  peculiar 
interest,  and  go  far  towards  corroborating  the  statement 
of  our  brother  Stockbridge,  that  the  Navy  is  feeling  the 
influence  of  the  great  awakening,  and  not  the  Navy  only, 
but  the  entire  mercantile  marine.  In  fact,  the  triumphs 
of  grace  among  the  men  of  the  sea  everywhere,  are  but 
signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  constitute  the 
evidence  that  God  is  fulfilling  his  prophesy  and  bidding 
the  Church  to  take  courage,  and  pray  and  labor  for  the 
conversion  of  the  men  of  the  sea.  And  is  not  the 
Church  awaking  to  a  sense  of  her  duty  to  this  widely 
extended  class  ?  Is  she  not  in  earnest  ?  Has  she  not 
gone  up  into  the  Carmel  of  privilege,  and  prayed  even 
seven  times  ?  She  has  !  Prayers  are  even  now  ascend- 
ing in  every  direction,  as  the  tidings  of  this  marvellous 
awakening  is  carried  by  the  press,  not  only  to  the  com- 
mercial cities  of  the  seaboard,  but  to  every  village  and 
hamlet  throughout  the  land  ;  and  therefore  has  God 
caused  this  "  little  cloud  " — not  larger,  relatively,  "  than 


350  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

a  man's  hand,"  to  come  **  from  the  sea,"  and  bring  with 
it  "  a  sound  of  abundance  of  rain." 

Fulton  street  and  Old  Slip  daily  prayer-meetings  in 
the  city,  were  constantly  appealed  to,  to  pray  for  thci 
sailor,  and  they  both  cheerfully  responded  to  every  such 
request,  with  a  heartiness  that  corresponded  with  the 
importance  of  the  matter  in  hand.  A  naval  officer  who 
was  often  at  the  Old  Slip  meeting,  on  one  occasion,  while 
asking  the  prayers  of  the  meeting  for  the  sailors  of  the 
North  Carolina,  took  occasion  to  say  : 

' '  I  have  been  connected  with  the  United  States'  naval  service 
about  thirty  years,  and  I  have  seen  great  changes  taking  place  in 
the  religious  and  spiritual  condition  of  those  connected  with  the 
service.  It  is  not  now  as  it  once  was  ;  and  these  changes  be- 
token greater  changes  coming  ;  sending  their  shadows  before, 
most  cheering  in  their  character,  full  of  hope,  and  assuring  that 
'the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  to  Christ.'  I  have 
been  most  happy  to  know  that  the  sailor  is  often  remembered 
here  in  prayer,  and  I  rejoice  with  you  in  these  changes  for  good. 
I  know  of  no  class  of  men  who  make  more  decided  and  warm- 
hearted Christians.  I  have  seen  the  starting  tear,  and  the  swell- 
ing emotion  when  I  have  heard  them  tell  what  the  Lord  had 
done  for  them  in  their  salvation.  1  have  heard  them  speak  in 
the  most  simple,  yet  glowing  language,  of  their  religious  experi- 
ence, and  I  am  sure  you  would  feel  the  same  interest  in  these 
m3n  as  I  do,  if  you  knew  them  as  well. 

"  During  last  winter  there  was  a  precious  work  of  grace  on 
board  this  ship.  A  large  number  of  men  were  awakened 
and  became  Christians.  These  are  now  scattered  through  the 
service,  in  various  vessels  of  war,  and  are  at  this  time  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  ocean.  But  vve  often  hear  from  them.  They 
are  maintaining  their  prayer-meetings  on  shipboard  and  are  do- 
ing great  good.  The  night  before  last,  I  was  on  board  the  North 
Carolina,  at  religious  services.     There  are  now  from  six  to  seven 


SINGULAR    UNANIMITY.  35  I 

hundred  men  on  board.  Toward  the  close  of  the  services,  all 
those  who  entertained  hope  that  they  were  Christians  were  call- 
ed upon  to  manifest  it  by  rising  :  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
arose.  Then  those  who  felt  interested  on  the  subject  of  religion 
and  desired  the  prayers  of  Christians,  were  requested  to  rise. 
From  forty  to  fifty  arose  around  the  speaker,  and  a  voice  came 
out  of  the  distant  and  dim  part  of  the  ship,  saying,  '  There  are 
more  of  us  here  standing,  than  you  can  count,  sir. ' 

"  Now  I  come  to  ask  you  to  pray  for  these  men.  In  a  few 
months  they,  too,  will  be  far  away,  and  distributed  over  the  sea. 
What  a  blessing  it  would  be  if  they  should  be  converted,  and 
should  be  messengers  of  our  holy  religion,  exhibiting  it,  and  pro- 
claiming it  to  all,  wherever  they  go.  It  seems  to  me,  that  a  peti- 
tion that  the  abundance  of  the  sea  may  be  converted,  should  en- 
ter into  all  our  prayers. " 

My  object  in  presenting  the  above  quotations  has  been, 
that  the  reader  may  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
peculiar  features  of  this  revival  through  other  eyes  than 
my  own.  The  testimony  of  such  men  as  were  drawn  to 
these  scenes  by  their  interests  in  the  progress  of  Christ's 
kingdom,  cannot  be  other  than  interesting  to  those  who 
are  anxious  to  be  correctly  informed  concerning  them. 

It  will  be  noticed,  in  the  testimonies  given,  that  there 
is  a  singular  unanimity,  as  to  the  expression  of  the  prom- 
inent features  manifested  in  the  meeting — the  marked 
solemnity,  the  deep  reverence  for  the  truth,  the  sense 
of  the  Divine  presence,  the  consciousness  of  personal 
unworthiness,  the  prominence  given  to  the  word,  the 
absence  of  all  mere  excitement,  of  boastful  expressions, 
of  self-seeking  or  self-assertion,  the  presence  of  an  humble 
dependence  on  God,  in  Christ,  and  an  earnest  pleading 
for  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  well  as  an  eager- 
ness to  secure  the  salvation  of  their  companions.     It  will 


352  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

be  noticed  too  that  all  agree  on  the  emotional  aspect  of 
the  meetings.  Some  may  be  a  little  sceptical  about 
sailors  weeping,  as  they  are  said  to  do.  Yet  all  who 
have  been  ear  and  eye-witnesses,  have  testified  speci- 
ally to  the  tenderness  exhibited  under  the  preaching  of 
the  word,  to  the  sense  of  sorrow  for  sin,  and  gratitude 
toward  all  who  have  in  any  measure  contributed  to  the 
opening  of  their  eyes  or  to  the  illuminating  of  their  path- 
way Zionward.  These  are  the  fruits  of  the  spirit,  and 
testify  to  the  genuineness  of  this  work  of  grace,  as  affect- 
ing the  hearts  of  these  men,  rather  than  their  heads. 

Another  feature  which  it  is  important  to  mark,  is  the 
vitality  displayed  in  its  permanence  or  continuance. 
Although  the  ranks  of  these  believing  brethren  were 
thinned  by  repeated  drafts,  and  the  leading  minds  were 
removed,  others  were  found  to  take  both  the  laboring  and 
the  steering  oar.  Their  places  were  filled  by  volunteers 
who  had  themselves  become  enamored  of  the  work,  and 
the  men  who  had  labored  most  arduously  on  board  the 
"  North,"  went  forth  bearing  the  precious  seed  to  other 
ships,  and  to  other  souls.  Out  of  the  one  grew  the  many, 
until  from  this  spiritual  home  of  the  original  converts, 
the  spiritual  children  were  scattered  so  extensively,  that 
before  the  war  closed  over  two  hundred  of  our  men-of- 
war  were,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  leavened  with  their 
presence. 

There  arc  cheering  evidences  of  individual  converts 
carrying  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  from  ship  to  ship, 
until  it  was  borne  from  one  to  two,  three,  four,  five,  and 
in  one  instance  at  least  to  nine  different  vessels  by  the 
same  man.  In  one  case  two  men  were  so  impressed 
with  the  desire  to  bear  the  message  where  it  had  not  yet 


WIDE   DISPERSION    OF   THE    CONVERTS.  353 

been  heard,  that  they  volunteered  to  leave  their  own  ves- 
sel, in  which  they  were  surrounded  by  Christian  brethren, 
and  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  facilities  for  doing 
and  getting  good,  to  isolate  themselves  from  all  these 
advantages,  and  go  on  board  another — on  the  berth- deck 
of  which  there  were  no  representatives  of  Christ  ;  thus 
exposing  themselves  not  only  to  inconveniences,  but  to 
absolute  persecution.  Of  this  act  of  self-sacrifice  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter. 

If  the  immediate  effects  of  that  rehgious  awakening  on 
board  of  the  receiving  ship  had  been  all  that  was  accom- 
plished, it  would  have  taken  rank  as  one  of  the  most 
precious  of  the  revivals  of  modern  times,  or  indeed  of  any 
time,  among  the  men  of  the  sea.  For  the  good  work 
continued  to  be  carried  forward  on  board  the  same  vessel 
for  years,  although  not  to  the  same  extent.  Yet  all  along 
though  the  following  years,  certainly  up  to  1865,  there 
went  forth  to  the  various  squadrons  and  armies  of  the 
United  States,  men  who  had  been  awakened  on  board 
the  **01d  North,"  as  she  was  familiarly  called,  and  who 
by  their  influence  carried  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel  into 
the  naval  and  merchant  service  all  over  the  world.  In 
the  revelation  of  the  great  day,  I  doubt  not  that  the 
converts  of  the  converts  of  that  precious  revival  will  be 
found  to  have  reached  in  the  ensuing  seven  years,  to 
thousands.  Many  of  them  may  be  traced  even  now  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  A  royal  seed,  bearing  precious 
fruit,  were  the  converts  of  that  period.  Who  shall  limit 
the  productive  energy  of  one  earnest  soul,  in  whom  the 
quickening  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  taken  up  its 
abode  ?  As  well  might  we  attempt  to  compute  the  in- 
crease or  limit  the  habitat  of  the  floss-  winged  seed  of  the 


354  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

thistle,  which  is  borne  on  every  wind  and  roots  itself  in 
every  soil. 

The  following  letters  were  written  to  me  from  the  re- 
ceiving ship  during  the  progress  of  the  Revival,  and  as 
they  are  the  utterances  of  the  heart,  will  need  no  further 
introduction.  One  of  the  most  reckless  and  abandoned 
of  the  crew  of  the  North  Carolina,  who,  for  refusing 
obedience,  insulting  an  officer,  and  striking  a  sentry,  had 
been  sentenced  to  ten  years  imprisonment,  and  who  had 
been  given  up  to  all  vices  and  crimes,  writes: 

''Never  before  did  anything  make  me  feel  so  miserable  as 
when  you  administered  the  Lord's  Supper  on  board  the  ship. 
One  of  my  shipmates  told  me  to  go  to  Jesus  in  prayer.  I  could 
not  believe  that  Jesus  would  save  so  great  a  sinner  as  I.  But 
when  I  read  that  His  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sins,  I  went  to 
Him,  and  I  know  now  that  he  gives  peace  to  our  minds  and 
strengthens  us,  if  we  only  rely  upon  him.  I  feel  now  so  happy 
that  I  would  not  exchange  one  month  in  the  service  of  Christ 
for  the  whole  thirty  years  of  sinful  pleasure.  I  hope  he  will 
be  with  us  all,  and  give  us  strength  to  keep  on  in  the  holy 
path,  that  nothing  may  rob  us  of  the  crown  of  glory  laid  up 
for  us  in  heaven. " 

Another,  wdio  had  been  condemned  and  imprisoned 
for  crime  in  Loando,  being  released,  returned  to  this 
country,  shipped  in  the  navy,  and  finding  himself  among 
the  recruits  of  the  North  Carolina,  writes: 

''One  evening,  while  at  prayer,  I  had  a  curious  feeling  at  my 
heart,  and  scarce  knew  what  to  do  with  myself  When  we  knelt 
to  pray,  I  prayed  with  all  my  heart  to  God  to  forgive  me  my  sins, 
and  I  prayed  to  Jesus  to  take  all  my  heart,  and  I  would  serve 
him  as  long  as  I  shou'd  live.  After  the  meeting  was  over,  I  felt 
so  much  joy  within  me,   I  could  scarce  refrain  from  going  to  my 


SEVERE    WARNINGS.  355 

shipmates  and  telling  them ;  but  they  were  all  strangers  to  me, 
and  I  feared  they  would  sneer  at  it,  so  I  went  to  my  hammock, 
praising  God  for  his  goodness  to  me,  and  I  felt  sure  my  sins  were 
forgiven.  On  Saturday  and  Sunday,  I  read  my  Testament  and 
tound  comfort  the  more  1  read.  On  Monday  afternoon  I  felt 
wery  sad,  and  wondered  il  it  was  true  or  not,  that  I  was  trying  to 
ser\^e  God.  Still  something  told  me  not  to  despair.  So  I  kept 
praying  to  God  aii  the  afternoon,  and  when  I  went  to  bed  at 
night,  I  prayed  harder  than  ever  I  did  before  for  Jesus  to  take  all 
my  heart,  and  1'  would  love  Him  with  all  my  soul  and  mind  and 
strength.  Next  morning  my  mind  was  at  ease,  and  since  then  I 
have  felt  such  happiness  and  peace  as  I  never  felt  before.  Now 
I  want  to  serve  God  as  long  as  I  live,  for  I  never  knew  what  a 
merciful  God  he  was.  I  find  that  his  service  is  better  than  rich- 
es, and  it  is  getting  easier  to  me  every  day.  The  more  I  read 
my  Bible  the  more  I  love  my  Saviour. " 

The  writer  of  this  still  lives  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
hopes  and  promises  which  so  cheered  his  repentant  heart 
in  the  revival  of  twenty-five  years  ago. 

A  third  tells  the  story  of  his  antecedents  and  of  his 
recent  change,  thus : 

''  I  shipped  a  bright  and  happy  boy,  widi  golden  visions  of  the 
future.  I  read  my  Bible  and  said  my  prayers,  but,  alas  !  three 
months  had  not  elapsed  before  I  began  to  drink  and  riot  with  my 
wicked  shipmates.  I  went  rapidly  down,  until  I  became  a 
drunken  blasphemer.  I  shipped  on  board  H.  B.  M.  steamer 
Cleopatra,  a  twenty-gun  sloop,  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  I 
was  there  engaged,  eighteen  months  in  the  Caffre  war.  V/e  sail- 
ed thence  to  China  and  the  East  Indies.  While  in  the  Bay  of 
Bengal,  taking  in  the  top-gallant  sails  and  lowering  the  top-sails  in 
a  squall,  I  fell  overboard.  A  man  from  the  main-yard  called  out, 
'  A  man  overboard  ! '  The  ship  was  rounded  to.  the  lee-cut- 
ter lowered,  and  I  was  picked  up.  With  God's  help  I  had 
grasped  the  life  buoy  thrown  to  me.      I  then  promised  God  if 


356  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

he  would  let  me  escape  death  that  time,  I  would  serve  him. 
But  far  from  it,  I  forgot  all  about  his  goodness. 

"  The  remainder  of  our  cruise  we  were  kept  in  hostilities  with 
the  Burmese  in  Rangoon,  but,  throughout  my  Heavenly  Father 
watched  over  me  with  a  tenderness  and  kindness  that  none  but  God 
can  show.  The  cholera  raged  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rangoon 
river,  and  out  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  men,  we  had  one  hun- 
dred and  nine  cases,  and  thirty-seven  deaths. 

''I  returned  to  England  a  thousand  times  worse  than  ever. 
Thinking  I  had  quite  enough  of  the  service,  I  changed  to  a 
merchant-man,  but  still  hung  on  to  my  wicked  ways.  I  have 
often  wondered  that  God  did  not  cut  me  off  by  death.  For  eight 
years  I  followed  the  merchant  service,  all  the  time  living  in  sin, 
never  having  a  spare  shirt  or  coat  to  my  back,  owing  to  my 
drinking  propensities.  For  full  eight  years  I  was  a  slave  to  the 
rumseller,  but  thanks  to  Almighty  God  my  steps  were  directed 
on  board  the  North  Carolina,  and  here  I  found  my  blessed  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 

A  fourth  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  the  Holy 
Spirit,  who  suggested  that  it  was  time  to  look  after  his 
soul,  thus  : 

''While  lying  in  Mobile  Bay,  waiting  for  cotton,  something 
told  me  I  must  look  after  my  soul,  and  I  then  commenced  to 
read  the  New  Testament.  I  read  it  through,  but  I  fear  not  in 
the  right  way.  Yet  I  thank  God,  I  prayed  to  him  and  read 
of  him,  and  I  believe  that  Jesus  has  saved  me,  and  it  is  all 
through  your  instruction.  You  helped  me  out  of  the  pit  of 
darkness,  and  may  the  Lord  bless  you. " 

Another  says: 

"I  thank  God  that  my  steps  were  directed  on  board  the 
North  Carolina,  where  I  learned  from  you  the  way  of  salvation. 
May  the  Lord  strengthen  you,  and  may  your  prayers  take  root 
every  time  you  come  on  board.     I  feel  that  it  is  good  to  seek 


SEVERE    LESSON.  357 

the  Lord  and  walk  m  his  ways,  for  he  says  he  will  be  a  friend  to 
us,  whether  at  sea  or  on  shore.  One  day,  while  my  mind  was 
filled  with  vain  thoughts  about  the  money  I  was  to  make  and 
the  great  happiness  1  was  to  have,  I  fell  down  the  fore-hatchway 
from  the  spar  to  the  orlop  deck.  Thus  I  was  taught  the  vanity 
of  earthly  things  and  the  necessity  of  depending  on  God  for  life 
and  health  and  everything  we  enjoy. 

Still  another,  who  had  tried  various  occupations  before 
going  to  sea,  among  others  that  of  a  theatrical  performer, 
writes  from  a  merchant  vessel,  referring  to  a  wonderful 
providence  in  his  behalf  which  occurred  on  board  the 
Anna  Maria,  on  her  return  from  the  West  Indies.  He 
says: 

"I  was  out  on  the  flying  jib-boom,  with  another  man,  try- 
ing to  secure  the  flying  jib,  which  had  gotten  adrift  We  were 
running  under  a  three-reefed  foresail,  before  a  north-west  gale. 
We  found  we  could  not  do  anything  with  the  sail,  and  my  com- 
panion started  inboard.  I  watched  him  until  he  got  very  near 
in,  then  I  gave  it  up  also,  and  moved  inboard  too.  I  had  just 
got  off  the  foot-ropes  and  seized  hold  of  the  standing  jib-stay, 
when  the  vessel  made  a  plunge  into  the  sea.  I  hung  on  for  life. 
When  she  rose  again  the  jib-boom  was  under  the  bows.  One 
moment  later  and  both  of  us  would  have  been  in  eternity. 

' '  The  next  day  we  shipped  a  sea,  while  lying  to,  which  car- 
ried away  the  galley  and  washed  me  and  the  same  man  over- 
board. I  don't  know  why  I  was  not  killed,  for  I  could  not  see 
anything  to  keep  me  from  being  crushed  between  the  galley  and 
the  rail,  as  I  was  leaning  against  it  at  the  time.  I  prayed  a  little 
after  that,  but  soon  forgot  who  saved  me  in  that  trying  hour. 
Had  we  been  running  when  I  was  washed  overboard,  I  would 
certainly  have  been  lost,  as  we  had  no  boat,  and  the  vessel  could 
not  work  in  such  a  sea. 

"At  last  the  voyage  was  up,  and  I  was  safe  in  New  York,  I 
resolved  to  reform,  but  soon  broke  my  resolutions,  and  forgot 


358  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

God.  I  was  sick  and  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  I  met  with 
Mr.  Byrne,  the  sailor  missionary.  I  never  saw  such  a  man  in 
jny  life — he  was  talking  all  the  time,  when  he  could  get  any  one 
to  talk  to.  I  was  much  annoyed  by  his  persistency.  I  had  no  ob- 
jections to  his  preaching,  but  not  in  the  ward.  I  could  not  read 
or  sleep — and  I  thank  God  I  could  not.  Tuesday  night  I  went 
to  the  temperance  meeting  in  the  chapel,  and  Wednesday  night 
went  to  class- meeting.  When  I  came  out  I  kneeled  down  by 
my  cot  and  gave  myself  away  to  God.  I  have  had  many  secret 
seasons  of  enjoyment  since  then. '"' 

Shortly  after  the  above,  I  received  the  following  from 
a  merchant  ship  lying  in  Antwerp.  The  writer  was  a 
member  of  our  church  who  had  been  redeemed  from  a  life 
of  drunkenness,  and  was  awakened  under  my  preaching. 
He  writes  : 

"I  have  been  very  fortunate,  thanks  to  God,  for  all  his  mer- 
cies, in  getting  a  good  ship.  I  learned  that  the  mate  was  a  pro- 
fessor of  religion,  and  on  the  second  Sabbath  out  I  asked  him  to 
preside  over  our  services.  He  consented,  and  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  meeting.  There  were  six  of  us  present.  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  the  mate  did  not  continue  the  good  work.  H —  and  I 
have  meetings  by  ourselves,  therefore,  in  the  night-watches,  when 
I  have  the  lookout  We  meet  on  the  forecastle,  and  pray  and 
sing  hymns,  and  I  hope  the  Lord  has  blessed  them  to  our  good. 
For  he  says,  '  If  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  anj- 
thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father 
who  is  in  heaven.'  I  showed  my  colors  on  the  second  day  out, 
and  told  my  shipmates  that  I  had  shipped  in  the  good  ship  Zion, 
and  come  what  may,  I  was  determined  to  steer,  with  God's  help, 
by  the  Bible.  I  have  stood  a  good  deal  of  chaffing  about  my  re- 
ligion. Ever}'  one  seems  to  be  watching  me,  to  catch  m3  trip- 
ping, for  they  think  that  when  a  man  turns  to  be  religious,  he 
must  be  absolutely  perfect.  I  am  certainly  not  perfect,  but  I 
strive  to  give  them  no  hold  on  me.     I  read  my  Bible  eveiy^  day, 


GOD    HAD    MERCY    ON    ME.  359 

and  pray  to  God  to  pour  out  his  Holy  Spirit  upon  me,  that  I 
may  grow  in  grace,  and  walk  in  his  ways  more  freely.  Pray  for 
us." 

After  describing  a  cyclone  in  the  Mediterranean,  in 
which  everything  was  given  up  for  lost,  and  during  which 
he  prayed   for  mercy  and  deliverance,  a  chief- mate  says: 

''Alas,  I  soon  forgot  my  prayers  and  vows!" 

On  a  subsequent  voyage,  in  a  barque  to  South  Amer- 
ica, being  attacked  with  sickness,  he  was  shut  up  in  his 
cabin  five  weeks.  While  there,  he  read  the  tracts  which 
the  second  mate  had  given  him,  and  they  produced  con- 
viction. He  says,  "  What  could  I  do  ?  I  prayed  to  God 
and  gave  my  heart  to  him,  and  promised  never  to  forget 
him  again.  My  days  passed  lonesome,  and  my  nights 
were  troubled  with  dreams,  but  God  had  mercy  upon 
me,  and  I  pray  continually  that  he  will  keep  me  from  sin." 

Another  writes,  on  the  eve  of  sailing  : 

"  Dear  Sir — I  wrote  to  inform  you,  that  I  feel  myself,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  a  renewed  man.  I  have  devoted  myself,  and  send 
up  my  prayers  to  God,  whom  I  acknowledge  to  be  supreme  over 
all  the  world.  I  have  been  a  very  wicked  sinner,  but  I  believe 
there  is  hope  for  even  me.  For  the  last  eight  or  nine  years,  I 
have  been  not  only  sening  the  devil,  but  have  been  fighting  the 
gospel  of  God,  and  opposing  the  ser\'ant3  of  the  church.  Yet 
God  is  merciful  to  me.  He  has  many  times  warned  me  of  my 
danger,  but  I  hardened  my  heart,  time  after  time,  going  deeper 
and  deeper  into  sin,  until  it  pleased  him  to  send  his  servant  after 
me  to  show  me  my  doom,  if  I  still  persisted  in  my  sin  ;  and  I  am 
now  determined  to  thank  and  praise  his  holy  name  forever.  I 
fear  not  the  world.  ]\Ian  may  take  my  body  and  destroy  it,  but 
he  cannot  touch  my  soul.  I  only  hope  that  God  will  spare  me 
a  little  longer.     I  pray  to  him  for  this — that  I  may  know  that  I 


360  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

am  saved  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  on  the 
cross  that  I  might  have  everlasting  life.  I  hope,  on  my  return,  to 
find  a  good  boarding-house,  where  I  shall  hear  the  word  of  God 
instead  of  the  blasphemy  of  the  devil.  I  pray  to  God  to  watch 
over  me,  and  guard  me  from  evil  thoughts  and  ways,  and  blot  out 
forever  all  my  iniquities  ;  and  that  he  will  bless  you,  and  all  the 
assembly  in  the  Mariners'  church. " 

The  next  is  from  the  captain  of  a  vessel.  It  illustrates 
the  reflex  influence  of  the  good  work  on  board  the  re- 
ceiving ship,  and  is  dated  at  sea,  July,  1859.     He  says  : 

*'I  want  to  tell  you  a  litfle  about  the  struggle  I  had  with  my- 
self. I  did  not  feel  quite  certain  what  my  duty  was.  I  am  so 
weak  and  have  so  little  wisdom  and  confidence  in  myself,  that  it 
seemed  a  mountain.  But  I  have  been  to  my  Heavenly  Father 
with  it,  and  feel  that  I  must  go  forward,  and  do  ihe  best  I  can. 
So  I  called  the  men  aft  and  told  them  I  did  not  want  any  swear- 
ing, and  that  at  six  o'clock  every  evening  there  would  be  prayers 
in  the  cabin.  I  would  be  glad  to  see  them  all  there,  but  would 
not  compel  them.  One  said  *  he  would  as  soon  be  there  as 
anywhere.'  The  mate  called  them  aft  at  six,  and  to  my  sur- 
prise, every  man  on  board,  except  the  man  at  the  wheel,  came  in. 
I  read  the  i8th  chapter  of  Luke.  They  were  all  very  attentive, 
and  when  I  Knelt  in  prayer,  they  all,  except  the  officers,  knelt 
with  me.  Oh,  that  I  might  see  every  one  of  them  Christians  ! 
Pray  that  I  may  so  live  before  them  that  they  will  know  that  I 
want  them  all  to  be  God's  children.  On  the  loth,  I  read  the 
15th  and  1 7th  chapters  of  John — also,  an  account  of  the  meetings 
on  board  the  North  Carolina,  to  which  they  all  listened  very 
attentively.  Never  did  I  feel  my  own  weakness  as  I  do  now. 
In  God  is  all  my  strength,  and  I  do  know  he  has  helped  me  :  to 
him  be  all  the  praise. " 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

A  GRACIOUS  PROVIDENCE — U.  S.R.  S.  OHIO-r^^  SINNER. 

Scenes  re-enacted— Man  proposes,  God  disposes — The  Pentecostal  gift — A 
minister's  son — New  use  for  sweat  boxes — Devoted  to  the  ministry — 
bailor  a  curiosity — Ordained  deacon — Happy  day — Depth  of  mercy — 
Effect  of  a  sermon — Tribute  of  praise — A  mother's  influence — Cause  and 
effect — A  focal  point — A  father's  last  words — Home  memories — A 
hungry  Sdul — A  mother's  prayer  answered — Love  cannot  die — Promo- 
tion— Again  on  the  orlop-deck— Last  request — *'  Introduce  me  to  Jesus  " 
— The  sinner — Sceptical  queries — A  mother's  tears  — Heart  troubled — 
'•  Behold,  he  prayeth  " — A  brief  abstract — Dies  among  his  kindred. 

It  was  a  very  gracious  providence,  that,  in  October, 
1858,  called  for  the  transfer  of  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
naval  recruits  from  the  receiving  ship  Ohio,  in  Boston, 
to  the  North  Carolina,  in  New  York.  By  their  removal 
they  were  unwittingly  brought  within  the  sphere  of  the 
Divine  influence,  that  many  of  them  might  be  eternally 
saved.  It  is  not  implied  in  this  expression  that  the 
United  States'  naval  authorities  intended  to  bring  about 
any  such  beneficent  result ;  but  merely  to  record  the  fact, 
that  numbers  were  saved  as  the  sequence  of  that  transfer, 
and  being  saved,  were  returned  six  months  afterwards, 
to  the  ship  whence  they  came.  These  men,  in  the  ensuing 
April,  carrying  within  them  the  Divine  life,  were  permit- 
ted to  re-enact  the  scenes  of»the  Old  North,  on  the  berth- 
deck  of  the  Ohio,  whence,  together  with  others,  who 
were  born  of  God,  through  their  agency,  they  were  sent 
361 


362  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

forth  to  scatter  the  divine  seed  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth.  Surely  Jehovah  is  a  wonder-working  God ! 
Who  could  have  predicted  the  blessed  results  flowing 
from  that  removal  ? 

J.  A.  Morris  has  told  us  that  in  that  draft  there  was 
not  one,  when  they  left  Boston,  who  took  the  name  of 
Christ  Jesus  on  his  lips,  except  in  blasphemy.  Behold  the 
mercy  of  our  God  !  A  carping  critic  may  be  led  to  ask, 
with  indignation,  to  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?  Why 
send  these  men  to  NewYork,  and  keep  them  on  pay  for  six 
months,  only  to  send  them  all  back  again  ?  The  proper 
response  to  such  questions  is,  "  God  willed  it."  "  Man 
proposes,  God  disposes."  The  delightful  meeting  in  the 
saloon  of  the  steamer,  on  the  passage  to  Boston,  is  evi- 
dence of  this. 

But  the  Divine  wisdom  is  still  further  manifest  in  the 
good  work  continued  on  board  the  Ohio,  where  many 
souls  were  born  again,  and  became  themselves  instru- 
mental in  the  conversion  of  their  shipmates,  some  of 
whom  bore  aloft  the  banner  of  Christ  during  the  entire 
cruise  of  three  years  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  as  did  others 
in  the  various  sea-ports  of  China  and  Japan.  Nor  was 
this  all.  The  Pentecostal  gift  was  carried  by  renewed 
hearts  through  all  the  squadrons  of  the  U.  S.  Navy,  and 
to  many  divisions  of  the  army,  from  that  time  forward 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  full  extent  of  their  influ- 
ence, it  will  be  impossible  either  to  measure  or  compute. 

The  brethren  who  remained  on  board  the  Ohio  kept 
me  informed  of  the  progress,  character,  and  extent  of 
the  work  carried  forward  among  them.  A  few  days  after 
they  were  comfortably  located,  I  went  on  to  Boston,  and 
on  Sunday,  the  8th  of  May,  preached  on  board  the  Ohio, 


A  minister's  son.  363 

to  a  very  large  and  attentive  audience.  The  word 
spoken  was  manifestly  blessed  of  God,  and  souls  were 
awakened  from  the  sleep  of  death,  as  subsequent  cor- 
respondence  clearly  indicated. 

After  reaching  home,  I  received  the  following,  from  J 
B.  L.,  dated  May  loth,  1859: 

"My  Dear  Pasto?' — I  am  rejoiced  that  you  came  on  to  see 
us.  You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  benefit  derived  from  your  visit 
— not  to  the  brethren  alone,  but  to  others.  We  had  a  good 
meeting  last  night.  The  young  minister  who  accompanied  you, 
spent  the  evening  with  us.  N.  and  G.  have  taken  a  bold  stand 
on  the  Lord's  side.  N.  is  twenty-one  years  old ;  has  been  four 
years  and  a  half  at  sea  ;  is  the  son  of  a  minister.  G.  has  been 
fifteen  years  at  sea.  Both  are  EngHsh,  and  both  were  converted 
here.  They  have  accepted  our  confession  of  faith,  which  was 
read  to  them  according  to  your  instructions. 

* '  Oh,  my  dear  pastor,  it  makes  my  blood  run  cold  when  I  look 
back  upon  my  past  life,  stained  by  every  vice  !  My  example  has 
done  much  harm.  I  have  been  a  drunkard,  a  swearer,  a  gam- 
bler— in  short,  everything  contrary  to  the  law  of  God  ;  and  yet, 
after  all.  He  has  been  pleased  to  forgive  me.  I  have  now  that 
blessed  hope.  Oh  that  I  may  be  permitted  to  do  something  for 
Him  who  has  done  so  much  for  me  !" 

Three  days  later  he  writes : 

' '  We  have  dehghtful  meetings  on  board.  Three  more  have 
taken  the  decisive  step,  and  others  are  inquiring  the  way  to  the 
cross.  I  am  in  receipt  of  yours  of  the  nth  inst,  and  a  letter 
from  the  Portsmouth.  Several  of  the  brethren  have  been  as- 
signed to  her.  They  are,  the  writer  tells  me,  truly  happy.  The 
captain  has  given  them  permission  to  pray  as  much  as  they  like. 
The  first  lieutenant  has  loaned  them  one  of  the  sweat-boxes*  for  a 

*  These  instruments  of  torture — the  invention  of  which  is  worthy  of  the 
genius  ot  a  Torquemada — were  dark  closets,  about  six  feet  high  by  two 
and  a-half  wide,  made  just  deep  enough  for  a  mau  to  stand  upright  in 


364  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

librar^^  case,  I  hope  and  pray  that  the  whole  of  them  may  be 
converted  to  the  same  use.  Would  it  not  be  joyful  to  be  in  a 
ship  where  the  whole  crew  were  Christians  ?  I  long  to  see  the 
day  when  the  sailor  will  assume  and  maintain  his  true  place  in 
society. " 

I  may  add  here,  as  evincing  the  permanency  of  the 
blessed  influence,  that  the  dear  brother  who  wrote  this 
left  the  navy  a  few  weeks  after  this  date,  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  commenced  a 
course  of  study  to  that  end,  and  entered  Nashota  College, 
Michigan,  whence  he  wrote  to  me  from  time  to  time.  In 
a  letter  written  in  December,  1859,  ^^  says  • 

''A  sailor  seerns  to  be  a  curiosity  in  this  region,  judging  from 
the  amazement  of  some  of  them  when  I  told  them  that  I  had 
ploughed  the  deep  for  more  than  ten  years.  They  do  not  seem 
to  understand  that  a  sailor  can  become  a  Christian.  How  great 
the  contrast  between  my  life  now  and  one  year  ago  1  Then  I 
was  hard  and  fast  on  board  the  guard-ship,  not  knowing  that  I 
had  a  friend  in  the  world.  Now,  I  am  surrounded  by  hosts  of 
them.  Ought  not  I  to  be  thankful  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for 
his  love  and  kindness  to  me  ?  Oh,  how  I  long  for  the  dme 
when  I  shall  go  forth  as  one  of  the  messengers  of  his  love  \" 

Our  brother  continued  his  studies  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  rebellion.  He  then  entered  the  southern  army. 
At  the  close  of  the  Vv^ar,  he  resumed  his  studies,  and  as 
his  sister  informed  me,  under  date  of  June  7th,  1880,  was 

ihem,  and  allow  the  door  to  close.  A  few  auger  holes  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  door,  to  admit  air,  were  the  only  apertures.  For  trifling  faults  men 
were  enclosed  in  these  coffins  for  as  many  hours  as  the  passion  or  judgment 
of  the  petty  despot  of  the  quarter-deck  might  determine.  From  these,  at 
the  expiration  of  the  sentence,  men  were  often  taken  out  so  prostrated  by 
their  entombment,  as  to  require  the  offices  of  the  ship's  surgeon  to  resusci- 
tate them.     I  believe  the  use  of  them  is  now  forbidden. 


A    HAPPY    DAY.  365 

In  due  time  ordained  deacon  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
She  adds : 

*'Wewho  loved  him  and  appreciated  all  that  was  noble  in 
him,  had  marked  out  for  him  a  bright  and  useful  career  in  the 
future.  But  God  ordered  it  otherwise.  He  went  to  Texas ;  and 
while  on  a  return  visit  to  his  home,  contracted  a  fever  which 
eventuated  in  his  death  in  the  spring  of  1879. 

One   of  the  seamen   referred   to   by  brother    L , 

wrote  me  from  the  Ohio  : 

''  I  assure  you,  dear  pastor,  it  was  a  happy  day  for  me  when 
an  old  shipmate  of  mine  invited  me  to  go  down  with  him  to  the 
prayer-meeting.  I  was  astonished  to  find  him  a  Christian,  and 
to  hear  him  speak  of  the  preciousness  of  Jesus  to  his  soul.  I 
there  and  then  made  a  resolution  to  go  myself  to  Jesus.  At  the 
close  of  the  ser\dce  I  signed  the  pledge,  determined  to  drink  no 
more.  At  the  next  gathering,  I  arose  and  confessed  Christ  as  my 
Saviour.  A  load  was  lifted  from  my  heart.  I  felt  happier  than 
I  had  ever  been  before.  I  retired  to  my  hammock  and  prayed. 
I  have  been  praying  ever  since.  I  feel  like  a  new-born  soul. 
Henceforth  let  others  do  as  they  will ;  I  am  determined  to  ser\'e 
God.  I  love  the  word  of  God  now.  I  never  could  bear  to  read 
it  before.  I  pray  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enlighten  me,  that  I  may 
understand  all  I  read." 

The  minister's  son,  referred  to  above  as  N — ,  wrote  me, 
rejoicing  over  his  conversion,  which  he  considered  would 
be  a  blessing  to  his  parents,  as  well  as  to  himself.  He 
had  been  apprenticed  to  a  business  with  which  he  soon 
became  disgusted,  and  determined  to  go  to  sea.  His 
mother  was  broken-hearted,  his  father  Inconsolable. 
But  they  reluctantly  gave  their  consent,  and  he  shipped 
ii^  1853  for  Melbourne,  N.  S.  W.  From  this  date,  he 
says; 


366  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

"My  career  of  wickedness  commenced. 

'  Depth  of  mercy,  can  there  be 
Mercy  for  a  wretch  hke  me  ?' 

*'0h  yes,  there  can  be,  there  is.  I  know  it,  I  feel  it.  From 
Melbourne  I  went  to  India  and  China.  Was  absent  over  two 
years.  In  all  this  time,  while  conscience  was  doing  her  work,  I 
was  plunging  deeper  and  deeper  into  sin.  *No  peace,  saith  my 
God,  to  the  wicked.'  So  I  found  it.  The  thought  of  death  and 
the  despair  of  my  broken-hearted  mother  haunted  me.  I  drank, 
drank  deep,  to  drown  my  sorrow.  But,  thank  God,  all  that  is 
now  changed.  I  go  now  to  my  Saviour's  feet  and  pour  out  my 
woes  there.  He  alone  can  hear,  and  can  give  comfort  to  a  poor 
outcast  mortal.  The  afternoon  you  preached  on  board  the 
Ohio,  I  had  a  hard  struggle  between  the  voice  of  conscience  and 
the  pride  and  shame  of  my  own  heart.  I  thank  God  now  that 
the  struggle  is  over.  I  feel  a  peace  the  world  can  neither  give  nor 
take  away.  I  have  laid  my  burden  upon  Christ,  and  I  know 
that  he  has  borne  it  away.  Whatever  of  persecution  I  may  have 
to  endure,  I  am  resolved  to  bear  patiently  for  him  who  died  for 
me,  a  poor  miserable  sinner.  I  will  endeavor  to  lead  others  into 
the  right  way.  I  have  nailed  my  colors  to  the  mast,  determined, 
with  divine  assistance,  to  gain  the  victory  over  the  world,  the 
flesh  and  the  devil,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  I  hope,  as  you 
have  been  the  means  in  the  hand  of  God,  of  my  finding  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  you  will  continue 
to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  prove  faithful  unto  death." 

Another  reports  later ; 

"  We  are  carrying  on  our  evening  meetings.  New  faces  are 
present  every  night,  and  from  the  interest  manifested,  I  think  a 

goodly  number  of  souls  may  yet  be  saved.      R and  I  expect 

to  go  in  the  Portsmouth  with  other  brethren.      Do  not  forget 
to  pray  for  us." 

Nearly  two  months  later,  the  work  of  grace  was  still 
progressing.     A  brother  wrote  : 


A    MOTHER'S    INFLUENCE.  367 

''The  Hartford's  brethren  have  all  things  arranged  to  commence 
their  meeting,  and  are  desirous  of  having  a  library  to  take  with 
them.  The  carpenter  of  the  ship  is  a  godly  man,  and  has  taken 
great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  church  members. " 

Still  another  from  the  same  ship  wrote : 

''  Dear  Pastor — It  is  with  heart-felt  gratitude  to  God,  in  the 
first  place,  who  has  called  me  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvel- 
lous light,  that  I  here  record  my  tribute  of  praise.  I  thank  you 
also,  whom  he  has  blessed  as  the  instrument  in  bringing  me  to 
what  I  am.  His  mercies  to  me,  an  unworthy  worm,  are  many. 
Glory  to  his  most  holy  name  !  I  look  on  my  past  life  and  shud- 
der, as  I  recall  the  many  warnings  I  received,  and  the  many 
calls  he  has  sent,  to  turn  my  erring  footsteps  into  the  right  way, 
all  of  which  I  suffered  to  pass  unheeded.  I  thank  him  that  I 
was  led  to  listen  to  the  call  that  you  sounded  in  my  ears.  I  be- 
lieve that  if  I  had  rejected  that,  I  should  never  have  had  another." 

He  closes  by  praying  for  all  who  are  engaged  in  efforts 
to  bring  in  the  wandering  mariners  to  the  path  of  virtue 
and  peace. 

A  mother's  influence. 

Some  rare  Christians  were  on  board  the  old  North 
Carolina.  Many  of  these  are  living  and  exerting  an  in- 
fluence for  Christ  at  the  present  day.  Yet  how  little  do 
we  know  of  the  causes  that  wrought  together  to  produce 
such  great  effects.  How  many  lines  of  prayerful  interest, 
from  all  lands,  centred  on  that  orlop  deck,  we  shall 
perhaps  never  know.  Here  and  there  only,  we  can  trace 
a  connection  between  an  effect,  and,  what  we  n* ay  desig- 
nate as  the  remote  or  the  proximate  cause  whence  it  orig- 
inated. How  many  mothers  have  careless  sons  at  sea  ! 
How  devoutly  they  pray  to  their  covenant  God  in  Christ 
for  these  sons  !     Is  it  wonderful  then  that  when  so  many 


368  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

of  those  wandering  heirs  of  eternal  Hfe  were  gathered  as 
material  for  the  coming  war,  on  board  the  North  Caro- 
lina, she  should  become  the  focal  point  in  which  these 
prayers  m.et ;  or  that  she  should  become  the  recruiting 
centre  for  the  army  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.  Into  that 
godless  company,  there  collected,  in  1858  and  1859, 
many  objects  of  maternal  affection  and  sympathy  were 
brought,  in  the  order  of  Divine  Providence,  that  they 
might  be  born  again  in  response  to  their  mothers'  prayers. 
The  conversion  of  one  such  is  here  given  by  way  of  il- 
lustration. His  own  narrative,  as  he  wrote  it  twenty-five 
years  ago,  is  here  appended.  It  teaches  us  that  the  in- 
fluence of  a  Christian  mother  is  the  same  in  every  land. 
The  writer  was  converted  amid  those  blessed  revival 
scenes.     He  states : 

"  I  was  born  in  Wurtemburg,  on  the  borders  of  Austria,  My 
father  was  a  soldier,  and  had  command  of  a  station  of  land  police. 
As  far  as  his  duty  permitted,  he  lived  quietly  at  home.  Eaithly 
pleasures  had  no  charm  for  him.  His  time  was  divided  between 
his  king,  his  family,  and  his  Father  in  heaven.  He  taught  his 
children  to  love  Jesus  and  to  walk  in  the  way  of  life.  My  dear, 
good  mother  was  a  praying  woman.  Well  do  I  remember  how, 
on  her  knees,  she  entreated  me,  a  wild,  careless  boy,  to  alter 
my  way  of  life.  I  shed  bitter  tears  now  as  I  call  to  mind  the  sor- 
rows I  caused  my  dear  parents  ;  for  they  both  loved  me  very 
much,  in  spite  of  my  wickedness,  and  at  great  expense  educated 
me  for  usefulness  in  this  hfe,  and  for  the  life  to  come.  But  I 
gave  vv^ay  to  a  life  of  recklessness.  In  my  fourteenth  year  I  enter- 
ed the  office  of  the  mayor  of  the  city  to  study  law.  I  remained 
with  him  a  year,  and  made  some  progress  in  my  studies.  But  I 
went  on  from  sin  to  sin,  and  in  1854  concluded  to  leave  home, 
become  a  sailor,  and  go  to  the  United  States.  My  parents  at  first 
opposed  my  purpose,  but  afterwards,  committing  the  matter  to 


A  father's  last  words.  369 

God,  gave  their  consent.  Having  their  blessing,  and  the  prayers 
of  my  brothers  and  sisters,  I  took  my  departure.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  parting  scene.  INIy  father's  last  words  to  me  were, 
'  My  son,  always  keep  God  in  your  heart,  and  before  your  eyes. ' 
]\Iy  mother's  counsel  was,  '  Never  be  weary  of  praying. '  These 
precious  words  still  ring  in  my  "fears.  Since  then  I  have  looked 
death  in  the  face,  many,  many  times,  yet  my  heart  became  so  har- 
dened, that  tender  letters  from  home,  even  failed  to  induce  me 
to  forsake  my  sins.  Eventually  I  came  on  board  this  vessel. 
Here  it  was,  in  the  orlop  deck,  that  the  kind  advice  of  my  par- 
ents came  back  to  me  with  great  force.  Here  my  trangressions 
were  brought  before  my  eyes,  and  in  the  agony  of  my  soul  I 
cried  out,  '  Father,  have  mercy  !  Oh,  have  mercy  ! '  It  was  on 
board  this  ship,  in  my  hammock,  that  I  promised  to  serve  God 
forever.  That  evening,  in  the  fore-peak,  remembering  my  dear 
mother's  prayers,  I  offered  a  broken  heart  to  God,  and  I 
know  that  he  accepted  it,  because  he  has  said,  'him  that 
cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. '  My  soul  is  hungr}-  for 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  sympathy  of  my  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 
I  pray  for  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  I  may  avoid  sin,  and  never,  by 
my  example,  induce  others  to  trespass  against  him.  I  long  in- 
dulged in  the  pleasures  of  this  world.  But  now  my  eyes  are 
opened.  I\Iy  attention  is  fixed  on  objects  more  durable,  even 
those  which  will  last  forever  and  ever.  How  can  I  be  thankful 
enough  to  God  for  his  mercies  toward  me  ?  How  shall  I  praise 
him  for  his  Holy  Spirit,  who  teaches  me  his  holy  word  ?  I  can 
now  look  forward  to  death,  not  with  fear  and  trembling,  but 
with  longing  desire.  When  death  comes,  if  God  will  loose  my 
"stammering  tongue,  my  thanks  and  my  praises  shall  sound  for- 
ever and  ever. 

''  How  glorious  it  will  be  to  meet  father  and  mother,  brothers 
and  sisters,  before  the  throne  of  the  Lamb  slain  for  us,  where  we 
shall  separate  no  more,  but  shall  ascribe  glory  and  power  to  the 
I^mb  for  all  eternity  !  As  I  look  back  over  my  past  life,  I  now 
see  the  wonderful  working  of  that  Providence  which  took  me 
24 


370  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

out  from  a  comfortable  home,  and  into  the  midst  of  a  Hfe  of 
cares  and  troubles,  that  I  might  be  brought  to  my  senses,  and 
return,  like  the  prodigal  son,  to  my  Father's  house.  My  moth- 
er's prayers  are  answered.  I  know  that  no  day  passes  without 
prayer  ascending  in  my  behalf. 

"Serving  God  is  now  the  delight  of  my  soul.  Sometimes  a 
squall  of  temptation  breaks  over  me,  but  I  go  to  Jesus.  He 
will  never  forsake  me.  I  am  a  living  monument  of  the  grace  of 
God.  With  the  help  of  God  I  will  continue  on  in  the  good  path 
which  leads  to  that  rest,  where  sorrow  and  cares  are  no  more." 

It  is  my  privilege  to  testify  that  the  good  promises 
made  by  our  brother  are  being  now  fulfilled,  twenty-five 
years  after  they  were  made.  Having  passed  through  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  with  honor,  and  risen  from  before  the 
mast  to  be  ensign  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  he  was  at  the  close  of 
the  war  appointed  to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  U.  S.  Revenue 
Marine  service.  In  that  capacity  he  is  now  serving  (Dec. 
1883),  with  the  promise  of  a  command.  But  what  is  bet- 
ter than  all  earthly  preferment,  he  still  walks  with  Christ, 
maintains  a  Christian  profession  on  board  his  vessel,  and 
is  anticipating  the  hour  of  a  full  discharge,  with  a  subHme 
Christian  confidence  in  the  promises  of  the  Word.  In  a 
letter  to  me,  dated  October  24,  1880,  he  writes  : 

"  Your  letter  of  the  12th  gives  me  great  pleasure.  It  con- 
vinces me  that  all  have  not  forgotten  me.  As  for  my  remember- 
ing you,  how  can  I  allow  to  slip  from  my  memory  any  person 
connected  with  the  never-to-be-forgotten  time  of  1858-9,  on 
board  the  Old  North  ?  I  think  of  you  often  and  gratefully,  for 
your  labor  among  us  at  that  time.  I  still  cling  to  the  Saviour, 
who  in  his  love  and  mercy  then  remembered  me  as  one  of  the 
missing  out  of  his  fold.  Why  am  I  so  blessed  as  to  be  called  by 
him,  as  I  am  one  of  the  weakest  of  his  followers  ?  But  who  can 
fathom  the  love  and  long-suffering  of  our  Heavenly  Father  ?     It 


AGAIN    ON   THE   ORLOP-DECK.  37 1 

is  he  who  commenced  the  good  work  in  me,  and  my  comfort  is 
that  I  know  he  cannot  leave  his  work  unfinished,  so  I  struggle 
along  in  my  weakness,  trusting  to  him  for  strength.  I  am  still 
permitted  to  call  my  Creator  my  Father.  Who  can  comprehend 
his  love  for  me  ? 

* '  Twenty-two  years  makes  some  change  in  a  man's  appear- 
ance. You  may  not  remember  my  looks.  But  I  thank  God 
that  he  has  enabled  you  to  keep  a  place  in  your  heart  for  me. 
I  have  thought  of  you  often,  as  one  afar  off ;  but  receiving  your 
letters  seems  to  me  like  a  coming  home  out  of  some  strange 
land.  I  speculate  much  on  the  meetings  in  the  hereafter.  For 
surely  the  love  which  God  puts  in  our  hearts  for  others  cannot 
die.  Yes,  God's  arrangements  are  best.  Absence  from  my  fam- 
ily and  the  discomforts  of  a  sea -going  life  may  cause  me  some- 
times to  complain,  but  when  I  remember  what  I  was,  and  think 
of  what  I  hope  to  be,  I  can  only  say,  '  Who  am  I,  O  Lord,  that 
thou,  in  thy  mercy,  shouldst  remember  me .?'  I  am  fully  alive  to 
my  own  unworthiness,  and  to  his  great  love  for  me.  I  deplore 
my  own  want  of  love  to  him  and  my  inability  to  do  anything 
involving  sacrifice  of  myself  I  look  at  my  men,  and  ask  my- 
self the  question,  '  How  can  I  do  them  any  good  for  my  Mas- 
ter's sake  V  What  is  my  example .?  Speak  for  Jesus .?  Yes, 
whenever  opportunity  oifers  itself  And  yet,  after  all,  what  do  I 
do  for  Him  .?  I  cry  over  lost  opportunities.  Want  of  trust  and 
faith.  Your  prayers  for  me,  (i  Thess.  v.  2-^),  I  stand  in  great 
need  of.  May  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  me  wholly.  There 
is  so  much  of  the  world  hanging  like  a  heavy  load  on  me,  that 
His  long-suifering  is  a  marvel. 

* '  I  live  over  again  the  scenes  of  long  ago.  How  often  do  I  think 
of  that  time,  and  am  again  on  the  orlop-deck,  close  by  the  old 
wheel,  or  chock  forward  in  the  eyes  of  her.  And  then,  after  we 
left  the  '  North, '  our  little  gatherings  between  two  guns  on  the 
starboard  side  during  our  cruise  in  the  Portsmouth.  On  reflec- 
tion, I  am  astonished  at  the  long-suflfering  of  my  God,  and  pray 
to  him  to  let  me  see  more  of  his  great  love  for  weak  and  sinful 


372  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

men,  that  my  life  may  be  one  act  of  thanksgiving,  and  all  my 
doings  be  to  his  glory.  Your  quotations  from  Proverbs  iii.  6  : 
'  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall  direct  thy  paths,' 
has  been  the  foundation  of  my  prayer  almost  constantly  of  late. 
My  cry  to  him  is,  '  Let  me  keep  close  to  thee,  or  I  am  lost. '  I 
took  a  firmer  stand  on  his  side  this  season,  and  you  know  that 
such  a  course  is  easily  noticed  by  one's  shipmates.  There  is  no 
one  here  with  whom  I  can  freely  talk  of  these  things,  and  hearing 
from  you  gives  me  new  courage — knowing  you  as  I  do,  and 
being  sure  of  your  prayers  in  my  behalf.  Please  write  again. 
Your  letters  help  me. 

"  Faithfully  yours,  A.   B." 

THE   LAST   EARTHLY    REQUEST. 

The  brevity  and  uncertainty  of  life  is  nowhere  so  fully 
and  frequently  made  manifest  as  it  is  in  our  intercourse 
with  the  men  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships.  So 
many  poor  fellows  go  forth  from  us  in  the  full  vigor  of  life, 
never  to  return.  Of  some  we  receive  tidings,  and  learn 
the  times  and  manner  of  their  taking  off.  P^rom  others 
there  comes  no  message,  their  future  history  is  a  blank, 
to  be  filled  up  only  by  the  records  of  the  Great  Day, 

The  following  brief  epistle  is  from  a  young  man  who 
united  with  my  church  on  the  6th  of  March,  1859. 
Twelve  days  after  his  connection  with  the  church  mil- 
itant, he  sailed  for  the  southern  coast  Within  five  short 
months  he  joined  the  church  triumphant,  above.  His 
last  earthly  request  is  here  recorded.  It  is  dated  March 
1 8th,  1859,  and  reads  thus: 

'  Bear  Sir — Leaving  New  York  in  haste,  I  regret  not  having 
time  to  call  on  you  in  person.  I  only  write  now  to  inform  you 
of  my  feelings  of  respect  and  friendship  which  now  exist  and 
ever  shall  exist  for  you.      I  am  going  out  as  steward  of  the  barque 


'  A    LAST    REQUEST.  373 

American  Eagle.  I  shall  carry  with  me,  deeply  implanted  in 
my  heart,  the  many  acts  of  kindness  which  you  have  shown 
me.  I  am  bound  for  Galveston,  Texas,  and  now  bid  you  adieu, 
hoping  you  may  live  long  to  benefit  your  fellow- men.  I  would 
ask  as  a  favor,  that  you  and  my  fellow-members  of  the  ^Mariners' 
church  would  remember  me  in  your  prayers,  and  invoke  the 
blessing  of  God  on  the  sea-tossed  mariner.  Should  that  God 
whom  I  adore,  see  fit  to  take  me  to  heaven,  I  pray  that  I  may 
meet  you  and  all  the  members  of  our  church  in  a  better  world, 
where  moth  and  rust  do  not  corrupt  our  treasures  nor  do 
'  thieves  break  through  and  steal. ' 

"  Yours  with  respect,  W.   V." 

All  that  was  heard  of  our  young  brother  after  this,  was 
that  he  was  sent  ashore  sick,  in  Havana,  on  the  CQth  of 
July,  and  died  of  yellow  fever  on  the  2nd  of  Au^us'c.  Just 
four  months  and  twenty-seven  days  from  his  anion  with 
the  church  on  earth,  he  joined  "  the  general  assembly  of 
the  first-born,  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven." 

In  the  month  of  April,  an  incident  occurred,  which, 
while  it  is  but  one  of  many  of  like  character  in  the  gen- 
eral, has  some  details  which  possess  peculiar  interest,  as 
much  for  its  own  individual  importance,  in  illustrating 
the  sovereignty  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  in  having  mercy 
"  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy,"  as  for  the  wide-spread 
influence  exerted  by  the  subject  of  it,  both  in  the  navy  and 
in  the  army,  during  the  rebellion.  * 

A  German  sailor,  who  had  held  a  command  in  the 
Schleswig-Holstein  war  of  1848  and  185 1,  was  trans- 
ferred with  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  to  the  Prussian  navy, 
and  appointed  naval  instructor  in  a  training  ship  for 
midshipmen.  Subsequently  he  became  a  gambler  and  a 
duellist,  and  finally  sunk  from  the  command  of  a  man- 
of-war  to  the  level  of  a  sailor  before  the  mast.    He  was  at 


374  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  lowest  point  in  his  descent,  when  he  came  under  my 
notice.  An  expression  of  his  own,  while  under  deep  con- 
viction of  sin,  will  serve  as  a  caption  to  this  narrative. 
It  was : 

**  INTRODUCE    ME   TO  JESUS  !" 

That  seamen  have  not  been  thoroughly  understood, 
and  as  a  consequence  not  fully  appreciated,  is  an  assertion 
that  needs  no  proof  *'  He  is  only  a  sailor,"  has  often 
served  to  quiet  a  clamoring  conscience,  to  excuse  an  inex- 
cusable timidity,  to  justify  an  unjust  conclusion,  or  to 
discourage,  and  paralyze  effort,  which  if  put  forth  might 
have  proved  successful  in  winning  souls. 

If  a  cause  for  this  want  of  appreciation  be  sought,  it 
may  be  found  in  the  general  ignorance  of  the  real  traits 
of  the  sailor  character.  This  ignorance  arises  from  two 
causes.  First,  from  the  fact  that  his  life  at  sea  is  known 
only  to  his  roving  companions,  and  that  on  shore  only 
the  worst  features  of  his  character  are  thrust  prominently 
forward  as  a  result  of  the  predominance  of  his  unre- 
strained passions  and  appetites,  and  the  low  character  of 
his  surroundings.  Secondly,  because  the  church  of  God 
has  never  yet  fully  realized  his  personal  need  of  a 
Saviour,  nor  been  sufficiently  interested  to  inquire  into 
his  fitness  for,  or  the  necessity  and  importance  of  his 
co-operation,  as  a  factor,  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  the 
world. 

Seamen,  as  a  class,  are  by  no  means  so  low,  either 
intellectually  or  socially  as  they  are  supposed  to  be.  For 
under  a  rough  and  ungainly  exterior,  there  often  lurks 
not  only  a  warm,  affectionate  and  benevolent  heart,  but 
also  an  intellectual  ability,  a  business  capacity  and  a  gen- 
tlemanly, polite  and  chivalrous  nature,  which  are  wanting 


"  INTRODUCE   ME   TO   JESUS."  375 

In  many  on  shore,  whose  opportunities  and  advantages 
have  been  far  superior  to  theirs.  The  dull,  the  stupid, 
the  timid,  the  nerveless  and  the  inefficient,  are  not  the  boys 
who  go  to  sea.  Nor  are  they  who  are  driven  from  home 
by  a  spirit  of  adventure  and  desire  for  freedom  from 
restraint,  necessarily  of  low  standing,  socially.  The  very 
reverse  of  this  is  full  often  the  case.  An  impatience  of 
control,  an  unwillingness  to  be  fettered  by  parental  or 
academical  requirements,  and  a  desire  to  recover  health, 
has  sent  many  an  educated  and  disciplined  mind,  many  a 
fervid  imagination,  and  many  an  energetic,  and  resolute 
soul  to  sea.  Richard  Dana,  the  author  of  "  Two  Years 
before  the  Mast,"  and  Herman  Melville,  of  Typee  fame, 
are  cases  in  point.  It  is  not  claimed  that  the  majority 
of  seamen  will  come  up  to  this  standard;  but  that  many  do, 
and  that  the  number  of  the  intelligent,  the  efficient,  the 
thoughtful  among  them,  is  far  greater  than  many  sup- 
pose. Seamen's  chaplains  who  have  been  for  years  in 
correspondence  with  them,  who  have  gained  their  confi- 
dence, and  have  learned  their  inward  mind,  could  throw 
much  light  on  this  subject,  if  their  experience  were 
brought  out.  Too  much  of  this  evidence,  however,  is  lost, 
either  because  it  is  not  deemed  prudent  to  publish  confi- 
dential communications,  or  because,  if  divested  of  privacy, 
such  points  of  interest  as  might  be  useful,  find  no  channel 
through  which  they  may  be  utilized. 

Without  the  fear  of  violating  any  confidence,  and  with 
the  assurance  that  the  very  channel  needed  is  afforded  by 
these  pages,  I  present  the  following  narrative,  as  illustrat- 
ing points  of  character  sometimes  met  with  among 
seamen,  and  as  introducing  another  of  those  biographical 
sketches,   for  the  details  of  whkh  I  am  indebted  to  the 


-i^jG  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

men  themselves  ;  though  it  must  be  admitted  that  they 
were  written  without  any  idea  of  their  ever  appearing  in 
print. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  I  have  said,  was  a  sailor 
before  the  mast.  While  passing  the  Mariners'  church, 
on  Sabbath  evening,  April  17,  1859,  on  his  way,  as  I 
afterward  learned  from  his  own  lips,  to  a  lager  bier 
saloon  in  the  Bowery,  he  was  arrested  by  the  singing. 
Curiosity  led  him  to  enter  and  listen  to  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel.  I  had  administered  the  Lord's  Supper 
that  afternoon,  on  board  the  North  Carolina  ;  and  on 
returning  to  my  own  church,  with  my  soul  all  aglow  v/ith 
love  for  poor  perishing  sinners,  I  preached  from  the 
words,  '*  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Luke  xviii.  13. 
I  had  the  barest  scrap  of  a  skeleton  that  evening,  and  do 
not  remember  much  of  what  I  said,  save  that  I  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  this  prayer  was  "  acceptable 
worship  ;"  that  it  was  expressive,  (i.)  Of  a  sense  of  sin, 
which,  like  faith,  is  common  to  all  who  come  aright  to 
God.  (2.)  Confession  of  sin ;  personal  unworthiness. 
(3.)  Sorrow  for  sin  ;  a  godly  sorrow  that  will  never  need 
to  be  repented  of  (4.)  An  acknowledgment  that  God  is 
the  only  source  of  help.  I  also  spoke  of  the  prayer 
being  characterized  by  humility,  simplicity  and  self- 
loathing  ;  and  as  being  a  direct  personal  appeal,  which 
every  one  has  need  to  make  to  God.  I  called  attention 
in  closing  to  the  fact  that  in  the  original,  the  definite 
article  is  written  before  the  word  sinner,  and  I  deduced 
from  that,  the  conclusion,  that  a  true  conception  of  the 
heinousness  of  our  sins  would  lead  us  to  sympathize  with 
Paul,  who  acknowledged  himself  the  very  chief  of  sinners ; 
and  with    this    publican,  who,    instead   of  vaunting  his 


THE    SINNER.  37/ 

goodness,   like   the   Pharisee,    cried,   as   he   beat   on  his 
breast,  **  God  be  merciful  to  me,  the  sinner !" 

That  this  idea  impressed  our  German  sailor,  will 
appear  in  his  letter  to  me,  which  I  received  a  day 
or  two  afterwards.  This  letter  is  certainly  a  very  orig- 
inal and  a  very  frank  communication.  In  it  he  claims  to 
be  *'  the  sinner."  An  attempt  to  abbreviate  it,  or 
change  its  form,  would  only  destroy  its  idiomatic  individ- 
uality, and  serve  to  lessen  its  value.  It  is  dated  April 
1 8th,  the  day  following  the  sermon,  and  runs  thus  : 

''  Most  Rcucj' end  Sir — I  attended  your  service  last  night  and 
did  not  lose  a  word  you  said.  I  had  a  strange  feeling  in  me, 
which  I  cannot  account  for.  Perhaps  I  am  the  greatest  sinner 
of  the  whole  congregation  there  assembled  ;  although  I  never 
committed  sins  or  crimes  which  would  be  punished  by  the  law. 
If  one  has  to  pray,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me  the  sinner, '  it  is  me  ; 
and  I  would  pray  so,  most  sincerely^  if  my  mind  was  not  dis- 
turbed with  doubts  which  I  cannot  dispel.  You  said  everybody 
might  come  to  you  for  instruction.  I  stand  in  great  need  of  it. 
So  I  come  to  you,  and  pray  you  to  clear  my  mind  of  these 
doubts,  and  convince  me  of  facts  I  cannot  understand.  I  lay 
my  thoughts  open  to  you. 

''I  have  not  been  in  any  church,  except  from  curiosity,  since 
I  went  to  sea,  some  twenty  years  ago.  Although  of  ver}'  pious 
parents,  I  do  not  recollect  having  prayed  to  God  since  my  boy- 
hood, when  I  prayed  before  my  mother.  I  never  v^nt  to  com- 
munion but  once,  and  that  was  the  day  after  I  was  confirmed. 
I  saw  on  that  day,  the  same  person  who  in  the  morning  gave  me 
the  bread  and  wine,  in  the  evening,  intoxicated  ;  and  my  young 
mind  imagined  that  he  might  have  been  drinking  of  the  same 
wine  he  administered  to  me  in  the  Holy  Sacrament.  Ever  since 
that  time  I  have  had  an  aversion  to  ministers,  and  especially  to 
Catholic  priests,  as  I  have  seen  so  many  of  them  look  upon  their 
vocation  as  a  trade,  which   they  exercise  for  money,   when  theit 


378  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

very  actions  contradict  their  words.  I  know  it  is  not  the  bread 
and  wine  of  the  Communion  that  does  it,  but  it  is  the  faith  in 
it.  I  have  no  faith  in  this.  How  can  this  benefit  the  soul  of 
man  }  when  he  may  think,  at  the  same  time  he  takes  the  wine, 
perhaps  the  parson  has  been  bargaining  for  this  wine,  where  he 
could  get  it  cheapest.  This  same  wine  he  may  put  on  his  own 
table  for  his  sensual  wants.  I  know  that  Jesus  ordered  this  (Com- 
munion, but  was  Jesus  really  the  Son  of  God  .^  That  is  the 
question  I  cannot  solve.  He  said,  a  true  Christian  must  believe 
in  the  Bible  as  the  word  of  God.  I  confess  I  never  owned  a 
Bible  since  I  went  from  home,  and  I  never  felt  the  need  of  it ;  so 
I  don't  know  much  about  it,  excepting  what  I  learned  in  my 
childhood.  But  I  have  read  the  works  of  theologians,  who 
plainly  showed  there  were  many  contradictions  in  the  Bible. 

"God,  in  his  perfection,  never  can  contradict  himself;  how, 
therefore,  can  it  be  the  word  of  God  ?  Is  there  not  an  untruth 
in  the  Bible,  in  the  very  beginning  of  it,  when  it  says  that  Adam 
was  the  first  man  in  the  creation .?  How  could  Cain,  after  he  had 
slain  his  brother  Abel,  go  into  another  land  and  take  unto  him- 
self a  wife  there  .?  It  says,  we  all  came  from  Adam.  How  is  it 
possible  when  there  is  so  many  races  .-^  I  will  only  allude  to  the 
negro  race.  Where  did  those  islands  of  x\ustralia,  M-hich  never 
can  have  been  a  part  of  '  terra  firma, '  get  their  population  .^  I 
would  to  God  that  I  could  believe  in  the  Bible,  and  have  some 
faith  on  which  to  build  my  hopes  of  salvation.  But  this  faith  I 
have  not,  for  I  do  not  believe  in  the  Bible. 

' '  This  brings  me  again  to  my  first  question,  '  Is  Jesus  really 
the  Son  of  tjod .?'  In  the  works  I  referred  to,  this  question  is 
answered  with  '  No  !'  And  it  is  my  belief.  He  was  a  man  like 
us,  but  a  pious  and  great  man,  who  was  sincere  in  his  wish  and 
in  his  striving  to  build  up  another  religion  which  he  thought  the 
best.  He  testified  his  sincerity,  and  his  wish  to  bring  the  human 
kind  to  the  only  true  faith,  to  the  adoration  of  the  only  one  God, 
who  has  no  equal.  What  guarantee  have  we  to  believe  that  he 
was  the  Son  of  God  ?     What  guarantee  is  there  that  we  should 


THE    HEART   TROUBLED.  379 

believe  in  all  the  wonders  which  he  performed,  and  his  disciples 
after  him  ?  Why  cannot  we  think  that  all  these  recounted  won- 
ders are  written  down  to  induce  the  readers  by  it  to  embrace 
Christianity  ? 

' '  The  Bible  has  been  translated  into  so  many  different  lan- 
guages :  who  can  say  that  all  the  translations  are  correct  ?  Who 
can  swear  what  God  did  first  w^hen  he  created  the  world  ?  The 
Bible  tells  you  the  transactions  of  every  day,  tells  you  the  history 
of  the  human  kind,  then  living,  when  they  knew  nothing  of 
writing.  Can  it  be  the  traditions  that  went  from  father  to  son, 
from  generation  to  generation,  that  we  put  our  belief  in  ?  How 
these  traditions,  thousands  of  years  old,  may  be  disfigured  !  But 
still  the  Bible  tells  them  to  us,  and  in  the  Bible  we  must  believe, 
as  it  is  the  foundation  of  our  faith,  and  the  word  of  God.  I 
often  think  about  these  things  till  my  heart  and  head  grow  dizzy. 

"The  Bible  speaks  of  a  future  life — of  the  last  day  of  judg- 
ment, of  heavenly  reward,  and  of  eternal  damnation  in  hell.  Are 
there  really  such  things  ?  Does  our  own  soul  live  until  the  day 
of  judgment  comes  ?  or  does  it  taste  of  the  promised  happiness  of 
the  repentant  sinner,  and  the  punishment  of  the  unrepentant 
sinner  ?  What  is  hell  ?  There  cannot  be  a  place  of  torture  be- 
yond this  world,  because  if  there  were,  God  could  not  be  all- 
forgiving  and  all-loving.  I  have  formed  my  belief  that  there  is 
no  future  life,  and  that  which  is  spoken  of  hell  and  happiness 
lies  in  our  own  conscience  ;  which,  therefore,  ends  with  our  own 
life.  Our  souls  are  immortal  ?  Why  not  believe  that  our  souls 
are  transferred  to  a  being  on  another  planet,  and  so  on  and  on, 
until  we  are  purified  and  prepared  to  stand  before  the  face  of 
God.^ 

' '  Deity  cannot  sin  or  be  tempted.  But  are  not  the  men  in 
the  image  of  God  tempted,  even  by  Deity  itself.? — as  it  planted 
the  germ  of  evil  in  the  hearts  of  men  and  it  made  the  paths  of 
virtue  narrow,  rugged  and  full  of  privations,  where  the  path  to 
vice  is  smooth  and  broad  and  full  of  pleasures.  Why  has  Provi- 
dence made  these  two  paths  at  least  alike,  that  a  man  may  be  in 


380  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

dread  to  tread  the  path  of  virtue  ?  If  Jesus  was  the  Son  of 
God,  how  could  he  be  tempted  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  under  which,  I 
understand  Jesus'  own  thoughts  and  reflections  at  that  time? 
How  could  he  cry  to  God  that  the  chalice  might  pass  from  his 
lips  ?  How  could  he  exclaim,  '  God,  my  God  !  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me  ?'  The  Son  of  God  must  have  been  irreproachable, 
without  stain.  How  could  he  lose  his  trust,  his  confidence  in 
his  own  Father  ?  When  God  actually  wrought  wonders  at  that 
time  to  bring  mankind  to  the  true  faith,  why  does  he  not  do  it 
now  ? — to  unite  us  all — Mussulman,  Jew,  and  Catholic  in  the 
true  Church  ?  If  we  shall  believe  in  a  future  life,  why  does  he 
not  allow  the  souls  of  our  departed  friends  to  come  to  us,  and 
give  us  assurance  that  there  is  a  place  of  punishment  and  reward  ? 
Would  not  this  be  the  best  way  to  lead  the  sinner  to  the  path  of 
virtue,  to  convert  the  unbelieving  ? 

' '  The  thoughts  come  crowding  upon  me  as  I  write  them  down 
incoherently  ;  just  as  my  mind  is  torn  by  continued  doubts  and 
troubles,  with  no  sure  point  to  rest  upon,  with  no  hopes  for  the 
future,  and  no  sincere  regret  for  the  past,  as  long  as  I  do  not 
feel  the  pangs  of  conscience.  I  have  been  in  situations  in  life 
where  even  this  life  seemed  a  burthen  to  me,  and  I  did  not  look 
upon  it  as  a  crime  to  terminate  it,  when  it  was  tiresome  to  me. 
It  is  a  present  given  to  me  from  God.  Why  should  I  wait  till  he 
takes  it  from  me  again  ?  If  I  seek  rest,  and  I  know  there  is  no 
rest  for  me  but  in  the  grave,  why  shall  I  toil  on,  on  this  earth — 
perhaps  a  burthen  to  myself  and  to  others,  when  I  can  give  God 
his  present,  my  life,  back  again  ?  Our  great  philosopher,  Kant, 
says,  '  Only  a  knave  thinks  a  life  covered  with  shame,  better  than 
not  to  exist  at  all' 

' '  I  am  unhappy  because  I  cannot  believe,  because  I  cannot 
have  faith,  until  my  mind  is  released  from  its  doubts,  until 
I  feel  convinced  that  I  am  wrong  in  my  belief,  in  my  assertions. 
I  should  bless  the  hour,  when  the  moment  comes  to  me  that  I 
shall  understand  all  unknown  truths  which  are  now  darkening 
my  mind.     As   Jesus   introduces  us  to  God,  so,    reverend  sir, 


THE    HEART    TROUBLED.  38 1 

introduce  me  to  Jesus,  that  I  may  not  be  eternally  damned,  but 
my  soul  may  be  saved,  that  I  may  pray  with  a  sore  repenting 
heart,  '  God  be  merciful  to  me  the  sinner. '  If  you  could  spare 
me  one  hour,  you  would  be  able  to  relieve  my  mind,  and  make 
me  happy  again,  through  faith. 

"I  envied  my  mother  and  sisters  when  I  saw  them  going  to 
church  every  Sunday,  and  conversing  with  such  pious  feelings 
aftenvards  over  the  sermon.  When  I  left  them,  a  few  months 
ago,  I  could  not  comply  with  the  earnest  wishes  of  my  aged 
mother,  whom  I  most  likely  never  shall  see  again,  to  go  with 
them  to  Communion.  How  could  I,  who  believe  in  nothing 
but  my  own  conscience,  go  to  the  table  of  our  Lord  with 
thoughts  like  mine  in  my  bosom }  Would  it  not  have  been 
blasphemy  in  the  sight  of  God  .?  I  told  my  mother  my  reasons 
for  not  going  to  church  or  Communion.  She  could  only  weep 
for  me,  but  could  not  persuade  me  into  another  belief  Can  it 
be  possible  that  I  can  be  made  to  believe .?  that  my  mind  can  be 
relieved  of  those  doubts  which  are  continually  preying  upon  it } 
This  is  for  you  to  decide,  most  reverend  sir.  I  am  not  a  sinner 
from  principle,  but  by  misguided  thoughts  and  reflections.  My 
heart  is  susceptible  of  every  good  feeling.  Why  should  it  not 
accept  the  true  faith,  if  relieved  from  doubts  and  uncertainties 
concerning  it } 

"You  said,  a  sinner  is  never  too  far  gone  to  repent,  but  he 
must  come  with  an  open  heart  to  God ;  if  not,  he  will  be  eter- 
nally damned.  Your  sermon  wonderfully  moved  me  last  night, 
and  my  heart  is  troubled,  not  with  any  fear  of  future  punishment, 
but  with  a  strong  desire,  and  the  most  earnest  wish  to  learn  and 
know  the  truth.  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  shall  stay  here,  but 
I  shall  attend  your  meetings  whenever  I  can.  I  have  laid  before 
you  my  inmost  thoughts,  just  as  they  come  crowding  in  my 
mind.  I  have  concealed  nothing.  If  you  believe  those  irrelig- 
ious principles  of  mine,  which  I  have  nourished  some  twenty 
years,  can  be  chased  away  by  the  true  faith,  I  shall  bring  you  a 
confiding  and  a  trusting  heart.     And  my  mother  will  bless  you 


382  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

from  my  far  off  home,  when  she  shall  hear  that  her  son  has 
returned  to  God.     I  shall  be  to-morrow  evening  in  the  lecture- 
room,  and  be  most  glad  and  thankful  to  you,  to  hear  that  you 
will  devote  an  hour  to  me  at  any  time  you  like  to  appoint. 
' '  I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  myself,  most  reverend  sir, 

"  Humbly  and  respectfully,  "Emil  S." 

In  accordance  with  this  communication,  I  met  tlie  writ- 
er in  the  lecture- room  of  the  church,  brought  him  to  my 
house,  discussed  some  of  his  objections,  and  having  made 
an  appointment  for  a  future  conference,  sent  him  away, 
partially  relieved,  and  somewhat  encouraged  to  believe 
that  the  difficulties,  he  had  raised  were  not  only  not  as  for- 
midable as  he  feared,  but  that  most  of  them  existed  only 
in  his  own  mind  ;  were  more  imaginary  than  real. 

At  the  second  interview,  which  was  the  next  day,  we 
spent  an  hour  or  more,  and  closed  with  prayer  to  God 
for  the  illuminating  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Before 
leaving,  he  expressed  his  gratitude  to  me  for  my  patience, 
stating  that  one  doubt  only  remained,  and  that  pertained 
to  the  divinity  of  Christ.  I  had  been  reading,  a  few 
days  before,  "  The  Christ  of  History,"  by  John  Young,  M. 
A.,  of  London.  I  felt  that  it  was  admirably  adapted  tc 
his  case.  I  therefore  said  to  him,  "  This  little  book  con- 
tains just  what  you  need.  Take  it,  read  it  carefully  anc 
prayerfully,  and  let  me  know  the  result."  He  returned  i 
few  days  afterwards  very  much  relieved.  His  anxiety  haa 
disappeared,  and  in  its  place  had  come  a  cheerful  look  of 
satisfaction.  He  had  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  had 
been  relieved  of  a  load  of  care  ;  and  as  he  handed  me  the 
book,  he  said,  "  My  every  doubt  is  now  removed."  I  re- 
sponded, *'  I  am  indeed  very  glad.  Now  let  us  thank  God 
for  his  goodness."  We  bowed  together  and  offered  thanks 


''  BEHOLD,    HE    PRAYETH."  383 

for  the  removal  of  his  doubts  and  errors.  At  the  close  of 
the  prayer,  I  was  about  to  rise,  but  to  my  surprise,  he,  in- 
stead of  moving,  poured  out  his  heart  in  thanksgiving  to 
God,  reciting  also,  in  a  clear  voice,  the  Lord's  prayer ; 
and  that  too  with  an  unction  that  might  unhesitatingly 
be  considered  as  having  its  source  in  the  heart. 

I  saw  him  frequently  after  this  previous  to  his  going 
again  to  sea,  and  was  gratified  to  perceive  his  growth  in 
grace  and  in  knowledge.  Being  so  much  interested  in 
what  he  had  written  in  his  letter  to  me,  I  requested  him  to 
give  me  some  account  of  his  previous  life.  This  he 
cheerfully  did,  and  I  give  an  abstract  of  it  below.  It 
certainly  will  serve  to  magnify  the  grace  of  God,  and 
prove  that  he  is  not  confined  in  the  dispensations  of  his 
mercy  to  any  class  or  previous  condition  of  morality  in 
the  choice  by  which  he  brings  poor  sinners  to  himself 

Born  in  Rendsburg,  Schleswig-Holstein,  the  son  of  de- 
vout parents,  who  gave  him  an  education  such  as  fitted  him 
for  the  first  society;  his  youth  sadly  corrupted  and  stained 
by  flagrant  immoralities ;  running  away  to  go  to  sea ; 
breaking  the  heart  of  his  parents  ;  his  life  at  sea  character- 
ized by  more  than  the  ordinary  perils,  vicissitudes  and 
hair-breath  escapes,  and  of  the  most  abject  abandonment. 
Now  an  aimless  wanderer,  the  victim  of  unrestrained  lusts 
and  passions,  among  the  barracoons  of  the  coast  of 
Guinea;  and  now  walking  the  quarter-deck.  Now  in 
command  of  a  man-of-war,  and  now  a  drunken  sailor  be- 
fore the  mast ;  now  besotted  and  degraded  in  his  own 
eyes,  and  now  converted  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  and  ris- 
ing to  the  position  of  chief-officer  ;  again,  in  the  navy  and 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  holding  up  the  banner 
of  Christ  for  seven  years,  and  finally  returning  home  to 


384  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

his  mother,  whose  heart  was  gladdened  in  that  she  could 
glorify  God  and  say,  "  This  my  son  was  dead  and  is  alive 
again  ;  he  was  lost  and  is  found." 

This  is  a  brief  history  of  forty-three  years  of  his 
eventful  career.  The  close  of  his  hfe,  in  1868,  is 
told  by  his  sister  below.  After  the  attack  on  Port 
Hudson,  in  which  he  bore  an  hoporable  part,  he  was 
invalided  and  sent  to  the  Naval  Hospital  at  Brooklyn. 
On  his  recovery  he  left  the  hospital  at  the  time  when 
large  bounties  were  being  paid  for  entering  the  army ; 
and  in  March,  1864,  he  enlisted,  as  I  learned,  in  a  New 
York  cavalry  regiment,  went  down  into  Virginia,  and 
somewhere  in  that  great  grave-yard,  the  valley  of  the 
Shenandoah,  I  lost  him.  No  letter  ever  came  after  that 
from  my  heretofore  faithful  and  voluminous  correspon- 
dent and  spiritual  child.  From  this  silence  I  inferred  his 
death  ;  but  in  the  early  part  of  iS8c,  I  found  means  of 
corresponding  v/ith  a  sister  of  his,  living  in  his  native 
town,  and  from  her  I  received  the  following,  dated  April 
2nd,  1880: 

''  Honored  Sir — Our  Emil  returned  over  twelve  years  ago,  in 
January,  1868,  a  broken-down  man.  He  found  here,  with  his 
mother  and  sisters,  a  home.  Every  care  and  attention  was  be- 
stowed upon  him.  After  lingering  two  years  he  died  of  soften- 
ing of  the  brain.  He  is  buried  in  our  Peace  Yard,  beside  the 
dear  ones  gone  before.  His  mother,  then  in  her  eightieth  year, 
saw  her  heart's  dearest  wish  gratified,  that  he  should  not  die  in  a 
foreign  land,  as  a  stranger,   unknow'n  and  unregretted. 

''After  his  return  from  the  war,"  she  says,  ''he  went  to  sea 
again,  was  paralyzed,  and  subsequently  laid  up  in  a  hospital."' 
She  adds,  "  The  reason  he  did  not  apply  to  you  in  his  sickness, 
I  find  in  one  of  his  letters,  in  which  he  says — 'Friends  I  have 
none  here,  since  Pastor  Jones  does  not  reside  in  New  York  now.' 


A    BRIEF   ABSTRACT.  385 

Otherwise  he  would  never  have  failed  to  seek  succor  and  help 
from  you,  sir,  his  most  highly  appreciated  friend,  in  whom  he 
would  have  found  that  Christian  love  and  sympathy  which  you, 
dear  sir,  ever  showed  him  so  fully,  and  would  not  have  refused 
him.  My  husband,  my  sister  and  I  myself  thank  you  for  all  the 
loving-kindness  and  charity  of  heart  that  you,  sir,  so  unremitting- 
ly showed  our  poor  brother.  We  implore  God's  richest,  choicest 
blessing  for  your  reward.  What  fulness  of  love  must  have  room 
in  your  heart,  that  after  so  many  years  have  gone  by,  ^'ou  should 
search  for  and  try  to  follow  those  to  whom  you  showed  so  much 
of  loving  humanity,  and  taught  and  preached  to  them  such  godly 
charity.  It  is  to  me  to-day  ever  a  source  of  bitter  grief  to  know 
that  such  love  was  awaiting,  even  searching  for  him,  and  that  he 
was  not  permitted  to  find  you.  Perhaps  many  things  might  have 
turned  out  differently.  Who  can  solve  us  this  enigma  ?  why  it 
should  have  been  thus.  With  sincere  wishes  for  your  welfare,  I 
remain,  most  reverend,  sir, 

''Your  deeply  grateful,  Clara  W." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 


U.    S.  ^STEAMER    SAVANNAH — LIGHT    SPREADING. 

Altar  of  God  set  up — Character  of  the  leader — Course  mapped  out — Prayer 
on  the  berth-deck — Work  progressing — Living  witnesses — Varied  ex- 
periences—Offended dignity — A  problem — Paucity  of  chaplains — Widen- 
ing the  circle  of  influence— Scorn  and  derision — Christ  our  Righteous- 
ness—A  vender  of  segars — Not  ashamed — Disciples  scattered— No  fear 
of  the  Union — Missionary  spirit — Bristol  Bethel  service — The  mortar 
flotilla — Letter  of  introduction — Under  conviction  of  sin — The  flaming 
torch — The  ocean  the  arena — Word  of  God  the  torch — Ocean  perils  — 
Man's  inhumanity  to  man. 


In  my  diary  of  July  22nd,  1858,  I  have  mentioned  the 
drafting  of  three  hundred  men  from  the  receiving  ship 
for  the  crew  of  the  Savannah.  Among  them  were  several 
professors  of  reHgion,  some  members  of  the  Mariners' 
churches  in  this  city,  and  some,  who,  having  been  con- 
verted on  board  *'  the  North,"  had  not  yet  formed  any 
church  connection.  All  were  zealous  for  the  maintenance 
and  advancement  of  the  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ 
among  their  shipmates,  and  expressed  their  determina- 
tion, with  Divine  assistance,  to  labor  to  that  end.  They 
also  pledged  themselves  to  set  up  the  altar  of  God,  and  to 
maintain  public  worship,  as  soon  as  transferred  to  their 
own  ship,  if  suitable  provision  could  be  made.  I  pro- 
cured for  them  a  large  supply  of  religious  reading  matter, 
and  commending  them  to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  his 
386 


CHARACTER    OF   THE    LEADER.  387 

grace,  urged  them  to  faithfulness,  in  view  of  both  the 
cross  and  the  crown.  Before  saihng,  I  instructed  them 
with  regard  to  the  practice  of  seh^-denial  and  watchfulness 
against  the  assaults  of  Satan,  to  which  I  knew  they  would 
be  exposed  in  their  efforts  to  maintain  a  godly  conversa- 
tion in  the  presence  of  their  shipmates.  I  also  promised 
to  keep  up  a  regular  correspondence  with,  and  to  assist 
them  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  They  sailed  in  August 
for  the  coast  of  Central  America. 

Among  the  brethren  was  a  young  convert,  who  subse- 
quently united  with  my  church.  He  was  chosen  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  meeting  afterward  established,  and  be- 
came my  faithful  and  regular  correspondent.  From  him 
I  learned  the  details  of  their  daily  experience  in  spiritual 
things.  He  was  a  man  well  adapted  to  his  position  and 
duties ;  of  great  energy,  fervent  piety,  and  prolific  of  re- 
sources.     He  wrote  and  spoke  easily,  and  well. 

In  education  he  was  in  advance  of  the  general  run  of 
his  shipmates ;  and  so  far  from  being  influenced  by  his 
fears,  opposition  only  served  to  develope  more  fully  his 
unwavering  devotion  to  his  Saviour.  His  good  sense,  his 
innate  modesty,  the  kindness  of  his  manner  and  his  per- 
severing consistency,  made  him  a  fa7orite  with  his  com- 
panions, and  gave  him  a  large  influence  among  officers 
and  men.  His  letters,  which  came  to  me  monthly,  were 
discriminating  rather  than  commonplace,  and  detailed 
the  varying  incidents  of  their  everyday  life,  their  fluctuat- 
ing fortunes,  their  growth  and  their  decay.  Their  weak- 
nesses, and  their  wants,  their  tribulations  and  their  tri- 
umphs ;  the  opposition  they  encountered,  the  difficulties 
they  overcame,  their  intense  longings  for  the  souls  of 
their  shipmates,  and  their  sore  disappointment  at  their 


388  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

want  of  success,  were  all  faithfully  and  confidentially 
chronicled.  So  that  in  my  pastoral  letters,  sent  to  them 
m.onthly,  I  was  enabled  to  present  such  advice  and  coun- 
sel as  was  calculated  to  benefit  them  without  compromis- 
ing him. 

After  leaving  New  York,  the  brethren  came  together 
(  n  the  forward  part  of  the  berth-deck,  near  the  brig — 
the  place  of  confinement  for  prisoners — and  held  sweet 
communion  v/ith  God,  and  with  each  other.  Here  they 
mapped  out  their  course  for  the  future.  In  a  letter 
to  me  from  Grey  town,  dated  September  i8th,  1858,  he 
says  :  **  We  could  not  read  God's  holy  word  there,  for  the 
want  of  light ;  neither  could  v/e  sing,  as  we  had  not  yet 
obtained  permission  to  hold  public  service."  They  sub- 
sequently addressed  a  respectful  note  to  the  captain,  who, 
in  his  reply,  expressed  his  surprise  that  his  sailors  should 
desire  to  hold  a  prayer-meeting,  but  immediately  gave  his 
consent,  and  appointed  a  place  for  the  meeting  : 

"  We  are  now,  therefore,"  he  adds,  "  enabled  to  pass  the  word, 
eveiy  evening,  '  All  who  wish  to  attend  prayer-meeting,  come 
below,  on  the  berth-deck,  forward.'  Thank  the  Lord  !  some  of 
the  crew  accept  the  invitation.  Our  number  has  not  very  largely 
increased.  Yet,  those  who  do  come,  are,  in  my  opinion,  alive 
to  the  interests  of  souls,  and  are  more  interested  in  God's  work 
than  they  were  some  time  ago.  They  have  been  led  to  renew 
their  covenant,  and  are  more  determined  to  win  Christ,  and  be 
found  in  him.  Our  great  aim  is  to  make  our  shipmates  sensible 
of  their  own  personal  unworthiness  ;  of  their  death  in  sin,-  and  of 
their  life  in  Christ  Jesus  alone.  We  would  have  them  see  the  ne- 
cessity of  continued,  persevering  prayer,  and  the  faithful  study  of 
the  divine  word.  Since  we  have  taken  this  position,  the  light 
seems  to  shine  more  brightly,  and  to  burn  more  clearly  in  our 
own  souls.     For  a  season,  we  eould  not  induce  the  brethren  to 


LIVING    WITNESSES.  389 

speak  freely  in  our  meetings  ;  but,  now,  they  are  willing  to  testi- 
fy to  what  God  has  done  for  them  in  giving  them  a  good  hope 
of  eternal  life.  And  their  testimony  encourages  others.  On  the 
whole,  I  believe  the  good  work  is  progressing,  and  that  many  of 
our  shipmates  will  be  gathered  into  the  flock  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd. 

"  The  brethren  have  appointed  four  of  us  to  lead  the  meetings 
in  rotation.  But  the  duty  really  devolves  on  Brother  R — ,  and 
myself.  Pray  for  us,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  dwell  in  our 
hearts,  as  in  his  own  holy  temple.  I  wish  you  could  hear  how 
fervently  our  brethren  pray  that  we  may  all  be  taught  of  God, 
and  that  we  may  be  strengthened  and  refreshed  from  on  high. 
Brother  R —  visited  the  U.  S.  steamer  Saratoga  on  Sabbath  last, 
and  found  some  followers  of  Christ  among  her  crew.  They  do 
not  hold  any  public  service,  but  have  promised,  if  possible,  to 
obtain  permission  to  do  so.  We  are  hoping  to  procure  liberty  to 
go  on  board  of  her,  and  give  them  a  start.  May  God  give  them 
grace  to  come  out  boldly  and  acknowledge  Christ  before  the 
world  ! 

' '  The  Chagres  fever  has  broken  out  among  us,  but  none  of 
the  brethren  have  yet  taken  it.  Let  us  hear  from  you  often. 
Any  counsel  or  advice  you  may  proffer,  will  be  thankfully  ap- 
preciated. " 

Letters  of  this  nature  continued  to  come  monthly  from 
this  dear  brother,  from  the  date  of  the  above  until  May, 
1861,  to  all  of  which  I  faithfully  responded. 

A  bare  abstract  of  these  epistles,  containing  the  religious 
history  of  the  Savannah's  cruise,  is  all  that  can  be  offered 
in  this  connection.  It  is  encouraging,  ho vv ever,  to  be 
able  to  say  that  for  more  than  two  full  years,  in 
storm  and  in  calm,  at  sea  and  in  port,  the  lamp  of 
Divine  trutli  was  kept  burning  on  her  berth-deck ;  that 
the  faithful  few,  undismayed  through  all  the  trials  of 
their  way,  did  stand  up  as  living  witnesses  for  Christ  in 


390  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  midst  of  gainsayers  and  enemies  of  the  Gospel, 
their  daily  lives  being  a  continued  protest  against  the 
evil  practices  around  them. 

Now,  for  a  season,  they  were  cast  down  and  dis- 
couraged by  the  falling  off  of  one  or  more  of  their  num- 
ber, who,  becoming  faint  and  weary  in  the  maintenance- 
of  the  unequal  strife,  had  "  squared  away  "  before  the 
storm  of  raillery  and  opposition,  and  gone  back  to  the 
beggarly  elements  of  the  world. 

Anon,  they  were  cheered  by  the  return  of  a  backslider, 
or  by  the  accession  of  some  new  convert  from  the  ranks 
of  the  ungodly.  At  one  time,  mourning  over  their  want 
of  success  in  winning  souls,  attributing  their  failure  to 
their  own  short  comings,  and  at  another  rejoicing  over 
the  presence  at  their  evening  gatherings  of  some  brother 
or  brethren  from  the  Rehef,  Saratoga,  Seminole,  Susque- 
hanna, Supply,  St  Louis,  or  Brooklyn ;  bringing  them 
good  tidings  of  the  progress  of  the  cause  on  board  of 
their  respective  ships.  Or  they  were  stirred  up  to  fresh 
zeal  by  a  privileged  visit  made  by  some  of  their  own  num- 
ber, to  the  other  vessels  of  the  squadron,  on  board  of 
which  their  brethren  in  Christ  were  warring  a  good  war- 
fare. In  these  mutual  visitations,  opportunities  were 
afforded  for  the  interchange  of  salutation  and  experiences, 
and  for  the  stirring  up  of  each  others'  pure  minds  by 
way  of  remembrance,  as  they  took  part  unitedly  in  their 
simple  worship.  They  had  many  difficulties  to  contend 
with,  it  is  true  ;  but  even  these  were  not  without  their 
compensations.  For  if  persecuted  and  brought  to  the 
mast  as  criminals,  as  the  two  leaders  were  in  one  case, 
because  they  dared  to  point  a  dying  shipmate  in  the  sick 
Bay  to  Christ,  without  first  asking  permission  of  the  sur- 


OFFENDED    DIGNITY.  39 1 

geon,  whose  dignity  was  offended  thereby,  they  were  on 
other  occasions  assisted  by  their  officers  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  their  work. 

Notably  was  this  the  case,  in  the  person  of  Lieut.  K — , 
who  conducted  the  Sabbath  services,  organized  a  Sabbath- 
school,  and  aided  them  in  maintaining  a  weekly  Bible 
class,  for  the  mutual  study  of  the  Scriptures.  Of  these 
means  of  grace  they  were  not  slow  to  avail  themselves. 
Nor  did  they  fail  to  profit  by  them.  It  may  not  be  un- 
interesting to  Christians  ashore,  to  learn  how  the  piety 
of  those  dear  brethren  was  fed,  and  flourished  in  the  ab- 
sence of  so  many  privileges  as  are  enjoyed  on  the  land. 
How  long  would  the  moral  status  of  any  community 
ashore  be  kept  up,  if  the  churches  were  closed,  and  the 
ordinances  of  religion  under  interdict,  or  practically  abol- 
ished ?  Given  the  problem,  with  the  minimum  of  means, 
to  maintain  the  maximum  of  Christian  faithfulness  and 
devotion,  and  many  would  fail  entirely  of  a  satisfactory 
solution.  Let  it  be  understood  here,  that  this  is,  practi- 
cally, the  condition  of  things  on  board  a  vessel  at  sea,  es- 
pecially on  board  of  a  man-of-war,  where  hundreds  of 
men  are  often  shut  up  together  between  the  narrow  limits 
of  the  bulwarks,  for  three  years  at  a  time,  with  an  entire 
absence  of  all  moral  influence  and  restraint  It  is  unmis- 
takably true  that  in  the  United  States'  Navy  the  men  were 
virtually  abandoned  to  their  own  immoral  courses.  It 
may  be  objected  by  some  strict  constructionist,  "  the 
Government  has  no  authority  to  teach  religion."  Then, 
I  ask  what  means  the  appointment  of  chaplains  at  all  ? 
Why  not  abolish  both  the  name  and  the  rank  ? 

But  the  Government  does  propose  to  teach  good  mor- 
als, at  least.     This  is  presumably  the  reason  for  their  em- 


392  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

ployment.  But  how  many,  or  rather  how  few  chaplains 
were  there  in  the  U.  S.  Navy  at  that  time  ?  A  glance  at 
the  Navy  Register  will  show  that  their  number  was  sadly 
out  of  proportion  to  the  wants  of  the  service.  In  the 
midst  of  the  Rebellion,  when  we  had  hundreds  of  ships 
in  commission,  and  forty  thousand  men  employed  to  man 
them,  there  were,  according  to  the  U.  S.  Navy  Register, 
of  1862,  only  three  chaplains  afloat  in  sea- going  ships. 
Nine  of  the  largest  vessels  in  the  Gulf  Squadron  were 
unprovided.  It  surely  cannot  be  wondered  at  that  in- 
iquity abounded.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  it  could 
be  otherwise.  Yet  here  and  there  rehgion  had  her  faith- 
ful representatives  among  both  officers  and  men,  the 
voluntary  associations  and  the  Mariners'  churches  provi- 
dentially making  up  the  deficiency. 

The  use  made  of  their  advantages  by  the  Christian  men 
of  the  Gulf  Squadron  was  by  no  means  confined  to  the 
vessels  with  which  they  were  actually  connected.  Their 
desire  "  to  do  something  for  the  dear  Saviour  ashore," 
impelled  them  to  seek  opportunities  for  usefulness,  out- 
side their  own  immediate  circle.  My  correspondent 
wrote  me  under  date  of  April  7th,  i860: 

' '  To-day  I  sent  fifty  copies  of  the  Dair)'man''s  Daughter,  six 
Spanish  and  English  Testaments,  and  a  number  of  tracts,  in 
Spanish,  to  a  lady  in  Vera  Cruz,  who  has  distributed  tracts  for  us, 
among  the  Mexicans  before.  I  accompanied  them  with  a  note, 
asking  her  to  make  the  best  use  of  them  she  could,  for  the 
Saviour's  sake.  These  messengers  of  life  or  of  death  are  on  the 
wing.  Let  us  pray  that  they  may  prove  a  blessing  to  those  poor 
soul-enslaved  and  priest-ridden  people." 

Five  months  later,  another  supply — purchased  in  part 
with  their  own  money — was  sent  to  the  same  lady,  who, 


SCORN    AND    DERISION.  393 

in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  them,  sent  her  heartfelt 
thanks  for  the  opportunity  they  afforded  her  of  doing 
good.  Surely  that  was  a  living  piety,  and  a  true  mis- 
sionary spirit  which  burned  with  such  intensity  for  the 
souls  of  a  people  whose  faces  they  never  had  seen  ! 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this  spirit  was  maintained 
under  disadvantages — of  which  the  absence  of  sanctuary 
privileges  were  far  from  being  the  greatest.  They  were 
met,  in  addition  to  the  difficulties  arising  out  of  ship's 
duty — with  the  scorn  and  derision  of  the  ungodly  and 
the  profane,  the  jeers  and  jibes  of  the  would-be  infidels, 
and  the  sluggishness  of  their  own  hearts,  which  last  they 
sometimes,  mournfully,  acknowledge  to  be  no  small  ob- 
stacle to  their  success.  They  complain  also  of  the 
"  apathy  "  of  their  "  poor  dead" — spiritually  dead  ship- 
mates— and  pray,  oh  !  that  God  would  quicken  them, 
and  bring  bone  to  bone  and  sinew  to  sinew,  and  clothe 
them  with  flesh  !  They  lament,  too,  the  presence  of 
"  enemies  within  and  v/ithout."  But  the  greatest  enemy  to 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  among  themselves, 
were  the  devotees  of  Rome.  When  they  found  a  poor 
sinner  becoming  serious,  they  assailed  him  with  ridicule 
and  tried  to  bring  upon  him  the  contempt  of  his  ship- 
mates. "  Failing  in  this,"  says  the  writer,  ''  they  ply  him 
with  difficult  questions  which  he  cannot  answer,  and  thus 
strive  to  drive  him  from  the  very  threshold  of  mercy." 

Illustrating  this  point  in  a  subsequent  letter,  they  say : 

' '  We  feel  the  necessity  of  living  very  close  to  the  riven  side  of 
our  Redeemer,  that  we  may  feel  that  God  is  our  strength  and 
Christ  our  righteousness,  that  we  may  not  give  way  to  fear  and 
despondency.  I  must  relate  an  incident  here.  A  smart  intelli- 
gent lad  came  on  board  the   other  day,    to  sell   segars.      I    was 


394  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

pleased  with  his  appearance,  and  felt  sorry  to  see  such  an  one  in 
ignorance  of  the  great  salvation.  I  therefore  offered  him  a  Span- 
ish Testament  and  some  tracts,  which  he  thankfully  received,  and 
promised  to  read.  As  he  took  them  from  my  hand,  my  heart 
went  up  to  God  in  prayer,  to  make  them  useful  to  his  souL 
Some  Romanists,  standing  by,  began  to  laugh  at  him,  hoping 
thereby  to  induce  him  to  refuse  them.  Finding  that  they  could 
not  succeed,  one  of  them  sneeringly  said,  '  Well,  that  is  what  I 
call  stuffing  religion  down  a  man's  throat. '  Poor  souls  !  They 
will  neither  come  to  the  light  themselves,  nor  will  they  permit 
others  to  come  if  they  can  prevent  it.  In  the  mean  time  the 
vender  of  segars  is  in  possession  of  the  Word  of  Life.  Who  knows 
but  God  may  yet  make  him  a  vender  of  the  words  of  eternal  life, 
and  use  the  talent  he  possesses  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  for 
His  own  glory.  These  people  are  anxious  for  good  books,  and 
arc  delighted  to  read  them." 

In  a  letter  from  Vera  Cruz,  dated  May  23rd,  i860, 
Brother  C writes  : 

' '  We  had  a  visit  from  Brother  Charles  P ,  of  the  store- 
ship  Supply.  He  has  entered  into  covenant  with,  and  is  not 
ashamed  to  confess  Christ.  But  he  stands  alone.  His  shipmates 
are  careless  and  prayerless.  And  he,  like  Lot  in  Sodom,  finds 
his  soul  vexed  daily  with  the  filthy  conversation  of  the  wicked. 
Ho  has  therefore  much  to  contend  with.  I  gave  him  some  of  my 
volumes,  and  I  pray  God  that  his  every  trial  may  be  to  him  as  the 
furnace  to  the  gold." 

The  last  letter  received  from  the  Savannah  before 
she  was  ordered  home,  is  dated  Vera  Cruz,  September 
I  ith,  i860,  and  closes  thus  : 

"The  Susquehanna  came  in  on  the  4th.  I  hear  that  her 
boatswam  is  a  servant  of  Christ,    and   held   prayer- meetings  on 

Sabbath  evening,  and  that  her  executive  officer,  Lieut.  B ,  is 

not  ashamed  to  confess  Christ  before  men.     Let  us  pray  that  the 


DISCIPLES    SCATTERED.  395 

Lord  will  make  them  patient  and  efficient  workers  in  his  vine- 
yard. I  have  issued  eighty  volumes  from  my  librar}'  during  the 
past  six  weeks.  I  see  but  little  at  present  to  rejoice  over  in  the 
way  of  fruit.  But  the  seed  is  sown  and  I  do  not  despair.  My 
prayer  is  that  God  will  not  suffer  any  of  us  to  become  weaiy  in 
well-doing,  but  will  encourage  us  to  '  sow  in  the  morn  our  seed, 
and  in  the  evening  hold  not  the  hand.'     Glory  to  God  ! 

"  Our  meeting  continues  nightly  without  intermission.  The 
heart  only  knows  how  precious  is  our  communion  v.ith  our 
reconciled  God  and  Father.  Pray  for  us.  We  do  not  cease  to 
pray  for  you." 

When  the  ship  was  put  out  of  commission,  the  beloved 
disciples  were  scattered.  Some  of  them  enlisted  in  the 
army,  and  some  re-entered  the  navy.  Their  after  record 
shows  that  with  all  their  distributions  and  exposures,  they 
remained  loyal,  alike  to  Christ  their  Redeemer,  and  to 
the  flag  of  the  Union,  until  they  came  home  covered  with 
glory  and  honor  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  May,  1861,  my  correspondent  wrote  to  me  from 
Washington,  announcing  the  defection  of  an  officer,  who 
had  resigned  to  join  the  South,  and  saying  : 

' '  I  am  determined,  come  what  may,  never  to  see  New  York, 
except  it  be  on  duty,  until  Uncle  Sam's  difficulties  are  all  arranged. 
The  good  old  fellow  has  me  at  any  price,  or  without  price  if  he 
needs  me.  No  fear  of  the  Union  while  the  old  family  Bible  is 
read,  and  its  precepts  are  practiced.  God  has  blessed  and  pros- 
pered this  countn^  His  work  shall  not  come  to  nought.  The 
enemies  of  freedom  shall  not  succeed  in  their  fell  designs. " 

It  was  a  blessed  thing  for  the  nation  that  the  Revival 
preceded  the  Rebellion,  and  kindled  at  the  same  time 
on  the  altar  of  men's  hearts  the  fires  of  loyalty  to  country 
and  fideHty  to  God. 


39^  FIFTY    YFARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

In  addition  to  the  religious  influence  cf  seamen  among 
their  own  shipmates  at  sea,  we  had  many  other  examples 
of  the  true  missionary  spirit  displayed  by  the  m_embers 
and  converts  of  our  church.  One  of  our  seamen,  during 
this  year,  was  actively  engaged  in  laboring  among  the 
ships  in  New  Orleans.  Another  spent  several  weeks  in 
the  same  employment  with  him.  They  commenced  and 
kept  up  a  prayer-meeting  for  seamen  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  through  which 
m.uch  good  was  effected.  Another,  a  chief- officer,  in  the 
fall,  visited  Bristol,  England,  and  in  company  with  four 
or  five  other  pious  sailors,  who  were  anxious  to  be  about 
their  Father's  business,  attended  the  Seamen's  Bethel 
nightly. 

But  as  there  seemed  to  them  to  be  some  lack  of  a  true 
spiritual  vitality,  they  began  to  exhort  the  good  people 
of  Bristol,  and  to  provoke  them  to  love  and  to  good 
works.  As  a  result,  the  Bethel  services  were  given  up  to 
them  exclusively,  on  certain  evenings.  On  those  occa- 
sions our  Brother  B ,  the  chief- officer,  conducted  the 

exercises,  all  his  brethren  taking  active  part.  The  Lord 
v/as  pleased  to  own  their  labors,  and  crown  them  with 
success.  Believers  were  edified  and  stimulated  to  effort, 
and  many  sinners  were  awakened. 

The  fame  of  the  American  sailors'  meeting  went 
abroad  into  the  town  and  country  round.  Our  brethren 
vv^ere  called  upon  to  visit  other  churches,  from  place  to 
place.  Their  labors  were  sanctified,  and  a  blessed  revi- 
val was  the  result,  the  full  effect  of  which  v/ill  be  known 
only  in  eternity,  when  the  sheaves  are  gathered  in.  The 
chief-officer,  when  the  rebellion  broke  out,  volunteered 
his  sen^ices  to  the  United  States'  Navy,  was  accepted,  ap- 


THE    MORTAR    FLOTILLA.  397 

pointed  to  a  command  in  the  mortar  flotilla,  and  ordered 
South.  He  passed  through  the  exciting  scenes  of  the 
Mississippi  naval  engagements  under  Farragut,  from  the 
passage  of  Forts  Philip  and  Jackson,  to  the  taking  of  New 
Orleans  and  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  on  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  prominent  in  the  expeditions  of  the 
Yazoo,  Arkansas,  and  Red  River,  in  all  of  which  he  held 
important  commands,  and  received  the  commendations 
of  his  superior  officers.  During  all  that  period,  he  was 
enabled,  while  sustaining  bravely  and  faithfully  the  flag 
of  our  common  country,  to  bear  aloft,  also,  the  banner  of 
the  Cross.  He  is  at  this  writing,  a  useful  and  influential 
member  of  a  church  in  the  city  in  which  he  resides,  and, 
with  his  entire  family,  is  maintaining  a  walk  and  conversa- 
tion which  corresponds  with  his  public  confession  of 
Christ  in  the  Mariners'  church  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago. 

Incidents  like  the  above  remind  me  of  what  I  have 
somewhere  read,  that  among  the  Isthmian  Games  of 
Greece,  there  was  one  sacred  to  Neptune  in  the  cele- 
bration of  which  the  ministrants,  who  were  placed  at 
given  intervals  in  the  arena,  passed  from  one  to  another  a 
flaming  torch.  One  of  them,  holding  it  in  his  right  hand,  at 
a  given  signal  raised  it  high  in  the  air,  and  after  whirling 
it  two  or  three  times  above  his  head,  so  as  to  create  a 
circle  of  light  about  his  own  person,  flung  it  out  in  the 
direction  of  his  nearest  neighbor,  who,  catching  it,  and 
swinging  it  over  his  head  in  Hke  manner,  hurled  it  to  the 
next,  and  he  again  to  the  next,  until  it  made  the  entire 
circuit,  flooding  the  whole  arena  with  light,  and  came 
back  to  the  hands  of  him  who  had  given  it  its  initial  im- 
petus. 


398  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  in  the  influence  of  our 
Christian  sailors  of  to-day,  our  true  sons  of  Neptune,  a 
perfect  analogy  to,  if  not  the  very  antitype  of  this  an- 
cient custom. 

These  men,  having  the  ocean  surrounding  the  entire 
globe  for  their  arena,  imitate  the  features  of  this  game 
by  disseminating  the  Word  of  Life  among  the  dark  places 
of  the  earth,  which  are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty. 
Let  one  of  them,  for  example,  be  invited  to  the  house  of 
God,  and  become  a  possessor  of  the  Light  of  Life,  or  in 
any  way,  have  the  gospel  brought  home  to  his  own  soul, 
and  he  at  once  becomes  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
his  Lord  and  Saviour  of  scattering  that  light.  Having 
lighted  the  torch  of  devotion  at  the  altar  of  God,  he 
luxuriates  in  its  brightness.  But  he  cannot  enjoy  it 
alone !  Having  therefore  illumined  the  circle  of  which  he 
is  himself  the  centre,  he  goes  forth  on  his  light-bearing 
voyage,  flings  his  glowing  torch  out  into  the  surrounding 
darkness  to  some  brother  sailor,  who,  catching  it  from 
his  hands,  repeats  the  illuminating  process,  by  throwing 
the  flame  of  his  Christian  life  still  farther,  into  the  spirit- 
ual darkness  which  lies  beyond  him. 

Thus  these  cosmopolites,  passing  the  word  of  God 
frpm  one  to  the  other,  may  bear  the  light  of  Gospel 
truth,  and  of  Christian  example  around  the  coast  line  of 
the  globe,  and  fill  the  whole  world  with  the  briglitness 
of  the  Redeemer's  glory.  Will  they  not  thus  fulfil  the 
command  of  the  Lord,"  Let  your  light  so  shine,  that  others, 
seeing  your  good  works,  may  glorify  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven  "  ? 

I  insert  here  a  letter  written  to  me  from  Liverpool, 
dated  February  9th,    1858,  by  a  young  Hebrew  sailor, 


MAN  S    INHUMANITY   TO    MAN.  399 

who  was  converted  under  my  ministry  in  1857.  While 
other  communications  from  these  poor  neglected  ones 
illustrate  the  mercy  of  God,  this  one  throws  some  light 
on  the  dark  side  of  humanity  at  sea,  and  shows  that  the 
sailors'  fearful  perils  are  multiplied  and  enhanced  by  the 
wickedness  of  men,  or  rather  of  beings  who  claim  to  be 
men,  and  who  in  all  probability  would  consider  them- 
selves insulted  if  designated  as  brutes.  It  is  very  clear 
from  the  following  statement  that  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  wicked  are  cruel.      But  he  shall  speak  for  himself: 

"iT/r.  Jones — My  Dear  Sir — I  must  acquaint  you  with  my  happy 
state  of  mind  in  this  ship.  On  our  passage  here,  I  have  followed 
your  advice,  and  have  prayed  night  and  day  to  the  God  of  all 
goodness  to  enable  me  to  walk  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and 
to  cleanse  this  sinful  heart  of  mine,  and  make  me  a  new  creat- 
ure. The  more  I  prayed,  the  more  I  wanted  to  pray.  But  at 
times  I  was  beset  with  evil  and  wicked  thoughts.  I  soon  lost 
them,  however,  in  prayer  to  my  God.  I  hope,  my  dear  sir,  that 
you  will  always  remember  me  in  your  prayers,  for  the  prayers  of 
the  righteous  avail  much. 

"  I  must  tell  you  that  this  is  a  ver}^  v/icked  ship.  While  on 
the  Banks,  we  lost  a  man  overboard,  and  neither  the  captain  nor 
the  mate  made  the  least  effort  to  save  him.  The  weather  was  very 
cold,  and  eight  of  the  men  besides  myself  were  frost-bitten. 
Thank  God,  I  am  well  again  !  We  arrived  here  after  a  passage 
of  only  seventeen  days. 

'■ '  I  must  say  that  you  have  been  the  means  of  saving  my  soul 
from  hell.  For  I  feel  that  I  am  a  new  man  altogether  since  I 
first  heard  you  preach  on  the  words,  '  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. '  That  word  is  ring- 
ing in  m.y  ears  night  and  day.  I  have  been  to  see  my  brothers 
and  sisters  ;  but  they  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  me,  because  I 
have  become  a  Christian.  On  the  passage  we  had  to  pump  night 
and  day  to  keep  the  ship  from  going  down  under  our  feet.     I 


400  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

went  away  every  chance  I  could  get,  to  ask  God  to  preserve  us 
and  prepare  us  to  die. 

' '  The  poor  man  we  lost  overboard  was  a  watchmate  of  mine, 
about  forty  years  of  age.  I  was  at  the  wheel  when  he  fell  from  the 
lee  main  topsail  yard-arm.  I  saw  him  fall,  and  immediately 
hove  the  helm  hard  down.  The  captain  came  on  deck  and 
cursed  and  swore  at  me.  He  commanded  me  to  put  the  helm 
up,  and  then  turned  me  away  from  the  wheel  and  made  more 
sail  on  the  ship.  The  poor  sailor  was  left  to  his  fate,  without  the 
slightest  effort  to  save  him.  Poor  fellow  !  How  often  I  have 
thought  of  what  you  said,  '  Prepare  to  meet  thy  God  !'  Oh, 
may  I  be  ever  prepared,  is  the  prayer  of  your  humble  servant  in 
Christ  Jesus.      I  hope  you  and  all  the  congregation  will  pray  for 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

PERMANENT   IMPRESSIONS — DEATH    OF   MORRIS. 

Do  they  stick  ? — Our  response — The  world's  estimate — Sailors  comprehend 
their  position — Well-marked  characteristics — Sense  of  sin — Mercy  of  God 
— Charity  for  man— Endurance  of  persecution — No  back-door  at  sea — 
No  fictitious  support — The  triturating  process — Chaff  and  wheat — Uncle 
Sam's  web-feet— Graduates  of  the  forecastle — In  the  school  of  Christ — 
The  out-come — U.  S.  steamer  St.  Louis — Perseverance  of  the  saints — 
Formidable  difficulties — No  regard  to  the  Sabbath — Slaves  of  the  tub — 
Scoffers  remained  to  pray — Blessed  revival — Man's  extremity,  God's  op- 
portunity— "  Sweet  hour  of  prayer  " — Gratitude  for  the  conversion  of  a 
sailor — The  call  of  the  spirit — Backsliders  reclaimed — Peculiarities — 
Prayer-meeting  in  the  mizzen-top — The  lion,  a  lamb — Tears  of  penitence 
— Deep  contrition — Public  sentiment  changed — Christmas  a  blessed  day 
— Whole  ship's  company  impressed — Crew  on  "  tip-toe  '' — Satan  raging 
more  fiercely — Weaker  links  giving  wny— Brethren  scattered — Nuclei  of 
other  gatherings — Death  of  Morris— Tribute  to  his  faithfulness. 

There  has  been,  and  doubtless   will  continue  to  be 
manifested  an  anxiety  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  look- 


DO   THEY    STICK  ?  4OI 

ing  to  the  purity  of  the  Church,  to  inquire  into  the  pro- 
minent features  of  the  religious  experience  of  these  men.  I 
have  shown  from  reHable  and  unimpeachable  testimony 
their  remarkable  susceptibility  to  religious  impressions, 
and  the  readiness  with  which  they  yield  to  the  truth,  as 
it  is  in  Christ,  when  presented  to  them  in  its  simplicity, 
and  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  love.  There  is,  however, 
another  question  arising,  of  equal,  if  not  of  still  greater 
importance,  viz.,  that  which  regards  the  perinajiency  of 
these  impressions. 

My  coadjutors  in  this  work  and  myself  were  often  in- 
terrogated by  those  who  were  interested  in  the  progress 
of  our  work,  after  this  manner.  What  is  your  opinion  of 
these  Christian  seamen  ?  Do  you  think  they  fully  under- 
stand the  importance  of  their  position  ?  Is  their  religion 
of  that  positive  character  which  will  give  them  influence 
among  their  shipmates  at  sea  ?  Can  you  keep  the  run 
of  them  ">  What  evidence  have  you  that  they  are  faith- 
ful to  their  profession  after  they  are  out  of  your  sight  ? 
Are  they  easily  seduced  from  their  steadfastness  ?  How 
do  they  hold  out.     Do  they  stick  ? 

If  these  questions  were  intended  to  apply  to  every  in- 
dividual case  of  hopeful  conversion  among  seamen,  and 
an  affirmative  answer  be  required,  in  order  to  secure  sym- 
pathy with,  and  co-operation  in  the  work  of  propagating 
the  Gospel  among  them,  then  we  fear  that  some  will  be  dis- 
appointed, and  perhaps  discouraged  by  the  negative  form 
of  the  response.  Sailors  are  but  men,  and  Hke  other  men, 
may  sometimes  disappoint  the  hopes  and  anticipations  of 
the  over-sanguine.  But  if  it  be  meant  only  to  inquire 
whether  we  are  to  expect  the  same  proportion  of  suc- 
cess among  them  as  among  landsmen,  whether  the 
26 


402  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

effects  of  missionary  labor  are  as  permanent  among  these 
ocean  wanderers  as  among  the  more  sedate  dweUers  upon 
the  land —  then  the  answer  may  be  given  confidently 
in  the  affirmative.     Nay,  more. 

When  all  these  circumstances  are  taken  into  considera- 
tion, their  privations,  perils  and  temptations,  their  absence 
from  the  means  of  grace,  and  from  the  amenities  of  so- 
cial and  domestic  life,  and  their  exposure  to  unhallowed 
and  corrupting  influences  abroad,  when  these  are  consider- 
ed, the  amount  of  good  accomplished,  and  the  extent 
and  permanency  of  that  good  will  be  found  to  be  as 
large,  if  not  larger  in  proportion  to  the  outlay  oftim.eand 
money  and  self-denying  efforts,  than  that  of  ordinary  mis- 
sionary work  on  the  land.  To  these  queries,  I  have  at 
times  returned  answer,  by  taking  from  my  box  of  "  Let- 
lers  Received,"  some  recent  epistle  from  one  of  my  corre- 
spondents, and  read  it  to  our  sometimes  semi-sceptical 
friend  ;  and  in  no  instance,  has  it  failed  to  give  satisfaction. 

But  as  these  facts  are  now  to  have  a  wider  range,  and 
as  their  anxiety  is  perfectly  natural,  and  should  be  grati- 
fied, it  will  be  necessary  to  enter  more  fully  into  detail, 
than  could  be  done  by  the  reading  of  any  one  particular 
epistle.  I  will  endeavor,  therefore,  to  meet  the  demand. 
It  must  be  kept  in  mind,  however,  that  sailors  have  long 
been  known  to  the  outside  world,  only  for  their  rollicking 
carelessness,  their  intemperance,  and  their  reckless  disre- 
gard of  the  proprieties  of  civilized  life.  They  were  so- 
cially ostracised,  relegated  to  the  slums  of  the  river-front 
and  the  sea-shore,  associated  with  rum  and  harlotry, 
looked  upon  as  God-forsaken  ;  how  could  they  be  expec- 
ted to  be  anything  else  ?  What  wonder  that  they  are 
wicked.      Who  would    not    be,  under  similar    circum- 


THE   WORLD  S    ESTIMATE.  403 

stances  ?  The  world  is  willing  to  admit  that  they  are 
brave,  and  generous,  and  trustworthy,  because  it  places 
its  defence,  its  wealth,  and  household  treasures  in  their 
hands.     But  still  it  excludes  them  from  its  sympathies. 

It  were  well  if  the  Church  itself  were  not  open  to  the 
same  charge  of  exclusion  and  neglect.  For  although 
God's  gracious  promise  concerning  '*  the  abundance  of 
the  sea,"  has  been  recorded  for  the  encouragement  of 
his  people  for  the  last  twenty-five  centuries,  the  Church 
is  not  even  yet  thoroughly  awake  to  the  spiritual  interests 
of  these  noble  men,  whom  she  will  one  day  recognize  as 
her  faithful  coadjutors,  and  put  forth  her  best  efforts  to 
gather  into  her  fold.  But  it  is  the  Church  with  a  slight 
touch  of  scepticism  in  her  tone — that  asks  these  ques- 
tions. The  reply  is,  that,  as  a  class,  when  once  awaken- 
ed from  the  long  sleep  of  moral  death,  they  do  seem 
immediately  to  comprehend  their  responsibility  to  God, 
to  his  Church,  and  to  their  fellow-men.  They  appear 
fully  conscious  of  the  importance  of  their  position  as 
applicants  to  the  Church  for  admission  to  her  ordi- 
nances. 

The  devout  Christian  men  who  composed  the  council, 
and  who  conducted,  with  myself  the  examination  of  those 
who  were  admitted  to  church  fellowship,  were  impressed 
with  the  prominence  of  certain  well-marked  characteristics 
in  their  experience,  as  indicative  of  the  presence  of  the 
convincing  and  converting  energies  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  same  features  were  manifested  in  them  as  have  been 
witnessed  in  similar  revival  scenes  on  shore. 

There  was,  for  example,  a  deep  sense  of  the  guilt  of 
sin,  and  an  intense  conviction  of  its  exceeding  sinfulness 
in  their  own  lives.     This  was  accompanied  by  a  profound 


404  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

sorrow  for  sin,  and  a  disposition  and  desire  to  turn  from  it 
with  grief  and  hatred  as  the  abominable  thing  that  God 
hates.  Nor  was  there  wanting  a  keen  manly  sense  of  the 
justice  of  God  in  the  condemnation  of  the  sinner,  which 
followed,  logically,  from  the  sense  of  their  own  ill- desert. 
They  nourished  none  of  those  silly  ideas  maintained  by  a 
*'  philosophy  falsely  so  called  "  of  a  goodness  which  con- 
dones rebellion  against  the  divine  authority.  They  had 
no  conceptions  of  a  whimpering,  compassionate  philan- 
thropy, which  is  confined  to  the  few  at  the  expense  of  the 
many ;  which  fears  giving  pain  to  the  traitor,  while  he  is 
murderously  and  treacherously  laboring  to  undermine  the 
very  foundations  of  the  government  of  God,  yet  heeds 
not  the  interests  and  safety  of  his  subjects  at  large.  These 
men  have  been  too  long  and  too  well  accustomed  to  a  rigid 
discipline,  to  suppose  that  mutiny  against  supreme  au- 
thority can  escape  its  legitimate  penalty,  except  where 
that  authority  lacks  the  power  to  assert  and  sustain  itself 
They  know  nothing,  as  a  class,  of  those  theories  which  be- 
little the  significance  of  the  majesty  of  power  in  the 
hands  of  the  great  Ruler  of  the  Universe.  Their  corre- 
spondence over  and  over  again  expresses  their  wonder 
at  the  marvellous  long-suffering  of  God,  who  did  not 
take  them  in  their  own  toils  and  crush  them  for  their 
wild  and  wicked  opposition  to  his  word  and  will.  There 
was  also  present  a  true  sense  of  the  ingratitude  of  their 
past  lives  toward  God  and  Christ,  and  an  avowed  pur- 
pose to  devote  all  their  powers  henceforth,  to  the  service 
of  Him  who  had  given  his  life  for  them. 

Joined  with  all  these,  two  other  features  were  espe- 
cially marked,  viz  ,  1st,  A  sublime  consciousness  of  the 
mercy  of  God  in  Christ  and  of  the  utter   helplessness   of 


NO    BACK-DOOR    AT    SEA.  405 

all  human  effort  to  procure  deliverance  for  the  soul.  2nd, 
A  sincere  and  fraternal  love  for  the  souls  of  their  fellow- 
men,  as  shown  in  the  missionary  spirit  they  developed, 
and  in  the  efforts  put  forth  for  the  salvation  of  their  ship- 
mates, even  though  the  more  they  labored  to  that  end, 
the  less  they  were  beloved.  The  long-continued  and 
rasping  nature  of  the  petty  attacks  from  the  worldly,  the 
savage  bigotry  they  were  subjected  to  in  many  instances 
from  Roman  Catholics,  as  well  as  the  blasphemies  and 
scurrilous  assaults  of  avowed  infidels  and  unbelievers  which 
they  unflinchingly  endured,  would  have  utterly  wrecked 
many  a  well-disposed  soul  ashore,  even  with  religious 
society,  the  Church,  and  Sabbath-school  to  support  them. 
For,  be  it  remembered,  there  is  no  back-door  of  escape 
at  sea.  The  man  who  maintains  the  cause  of  his  Master, 
who  holds  up  the  banner  of  the  Cross  on  the  berth-deck 
or  in  the  forecastle,  must  be  a  Christian  of  no  inferior 
mold.  It  requires  courage,  true  moral  courage,  to  hold 
his  own  for  the  right,  where  all  the  currents  of  influence 
are  in  opposition.  The  Christian  sailor  at  sea,  has  no  ficti- 
tious supports  to  lean  upon,  no  external  props.  He  leans 
on  Omnipotence,  or  he  falls  altogether.  There  are,  under 
such  circumstances,  no  concealments  possible.  His  very 
soul  is  patent  to  his  shipmates,  and  a  single  false  step,  such 
as  might  be  hidden,  covered  up,  ashore,  is  often  fatal  to 
him,  because  it  is  at  once  published  abroad.  Keen  arrows 
of  wit,  sarcasm  and  ridicule  are  hurled  at  him.  He  is  the 
target  for  the  ribald  jests  and  the  contemptuous  jeers  of 
the  malicious,  the  profane  and  the  would-be  satirist ;  so 
that  the  wonder  is,  not  that  some  do  fall,  but  that  any 
do  stand.  It  is  a  mark  of  abounding  grace  therefore 
that  men  in  such  conditions  are  enabled  to  maintain   the 


406  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

honor  of  the  Master  in  so  apparently  unequal  a  strife,  to 
withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  still  to  stand. 

These  characteristics  will  be  seen  in  marked  prominence 
as  we  follow  the  men  to  their  separate  ships  and  ves- 
sels of  war,  tracing  their  influence  for  good,  and  weighing 
the  difficulties  with  which  they  were  called  to  contend. 

In  the  great  and  precious  harvest,  springing  from  the 
living  seed  sown  on  board  the  receiving  ship,  it  will  not 
be  wonderful  if  some  chaff  were  mingled  with  the  wheat 
in  the  threshing  season  of  trial.  Amid  godless  shipmates, 
and  unholy  surroundings,  the  chaff  would  necessarily  be 
sifted  out  and  blown  off.  Whenever  did  wheat  grow 
without  chaff?  Whenever  did  the  sons  of  God  come 
together,  that  Satan  was  not  in  the  midst  ?  There  was 
chaff  mingled  with  the  wheat  here,  as  the  workers,  who 
have  watched  the  triturating  process  through  which  many 
of  these  converted  souls  passed,  do  fully  know.  But  the 
proportion  of  chaff  to  the  wheat  garnered,  was,  in  this 
case,  certainly  very  small.  Twenty-five  years  have 
passed  away  since  that  blessed  season  of  refreshing,  and 
although  I  have  watched  these  men,  and  traced  them  in 
their  progress  from  voyage  to  voyage,  and  from  ship  to 
ship,  I  have  learned  of  very  few  who  ever  deserted  their 
colors,  or  who  fell  from  their  allegiance  to  the  Great  Cap- 
tain of  their  Salvation.  As  a  rule,  the  sailor,  brought 
out  of  the  horrible  pit  and  miry  clay,  his  feet  once  es- 
tablished on  the  rock  of  salvation,  is  as  true  to  his  Sa- 
viour, as  to  his  country's  flag  in  time  of  national  peril. 
President  Lincoln,  in  one  of  his  public  papers,  took  the 
pains  to  say,  that  while  traitors  had  been  found  in  almost 
all  ranks  of  society,  yet  "  Uncle  Sam's  webfeet  had  re- 
mained true  to  the  dear  old  flag."  v  ' 


GRADUATES    OF   THE   FORECASTLE.  407 

It  is  true  of  the  converts  of  the  North  Carolina  in  gen- 
eral, that  as  far  as  traceable,  they  have  remained,  with  a 
very  few  exceptions,  true  to  their  covenant  vows.  How 
true,  the  correspondence  will  enable  the  reader  to  judge  ; 
the  character  of  which,  in  some  instances,  at  least, 
is  indicative  of  a  mental  calibre,  and  of  a  spiritual 
insight,  which  may  appear,  on  account  of  its  superi- 
ority to  the  conditions,  and  want  of  educational  facilities 
of  these  men,  to  be  beyond  their  capacity  ;  consequently 
a  suspicion  may  arise  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  that 
these  letters  could  not  have  originated  with  them,  that 
they  are  the  product  of  an  intellectual  culture  which  is 
beyond  their  reach.  It  is  inconceivable,  doubtless,  to 
some  minds,  that  these  graduates  of  the  forecastle,  as 
they  are  slightingly  termed,  should  be  proficients,  not  in 
the  elements  merely,  but  also  in  some  of  the  abstract 
principles  of  what  may  be  designated  a  spiritual  psycho- 
logy, if  that  combination  is  allowable.  These  men  have 
proved  themselves  to  be  very  apt  learners  ;  disciples 
indeed,  who,  sitting  at  the  feet  of  the  Great  Teacher, 
have  imbibed  the  truth  pure  from  the  divine  fountain 
itself 

I  have  found  in  some  instances  a  marvellous  precocity 
in  their  attainments,  a  comprehensive  grasp,  a  profound 
conception  of  spiritual  truth,  a  maturity  of  Christian  ex- , 
perience,  and  even  more,  a  theological  acumen,  which  in 
men  who  have  been  so  far  removed  from  all  the  means 
of  improvement,  lead  us  to  ask,  v\^hence  have  these  men 
this  superior  knowlege  ?  How  have  they  acquired  it, 
in  the  absence  of  scholastic  training  ?  The  answer  is  not 
far  to  seek.  They  have  been  taught  in  the  school  of 
Christ.     They  have  been  with  Jesus,  and  have  learned  of 


408  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

Him.  They  have  held  converse  in  the  ward-room  and 
on  the  berth- deck,  in  the  forecastle,  and  in  the  cabin, 
with  the  Great  Teacher  himself.  He  who  once  sat  on  the 
well-curb,  while  instructing  a  dissolute  Samaritan  woman, 
who  once  again  walked  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  in  the 
gloom  of  a  midnight  storm,  to  give  encouragement  to  his 
imperilled  disciples,  has  not  been  unwilling  to  convey 
such  instructions  to  these  men  of  the  waters  as  would  fit 
them  for  the  exigencies  of  human  experience,  through 
which  he  intended  they  should  pass. 

It  should  be  further  remembered,  in  estimating  the 
value  of  this  correspondence,  and  the  intelligence  with 
which  it  was  conducted,  that  not  one  in  a  hundred  of 
these  men  had  the  remotest  idea  that  one  line  they  were 
writing  would  ever  find  its  way  into  print.  What  tliey 
wrote  was  for  the  eye  of  their  pastor  alone.  There  was, 
therefore,  no  stimulus  to  the  production  of  anything 
above  the  most  ordinary  and  common-place.  But,  the 
reader  is  already  in  possession  of  illustrations  in  point,  and 
it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  he  has  the  experiences  of 
these  men  in  their  own  words. 

The  actual  outcome  of  the  work  of  grace  among  these 
men  of  the  sea,  from  1856  till  1863,  will  never  be  fully 
known.  Of  the  little  that  is  known,  ''  the  half  will  never 
be  told."  I  may  state,  however,  that  in  all  the  vessels 
in  which  I  had  correspondents  during  that  period, 
the  cause  of  Christ  was  represented  by  devout  officers 
and  men,  who,  with  more  or  less  zeal,  and  with  varied 
success,  while  working  out  their  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,  labored  for  the  salvation  of  their  ship- 
mates. The  number  of  such  faithful  disciples  in  each 
vessel,  ranged  from   one   up   to  seventy.     In  some  in- 


U.    S.    STEAMER    ST.    LOUIS.  4O9 

Stances  the  good  work  was  carried  forward  with  the  ac- 
quiescence and  sympathy  of  the  quarter-deck.  In  others 
the  circumstances  were  far  less  favorable  ; — the  seed  in 
such  cases  being  sown  in  suffering  and  pain,  in  the  face 
of  determined  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  officers,  as 
well  as  the  petty  persecutions  of  the  men,  '*  with  strong 
crying  and  tears." 

In  a  preceding  chapter  I  have  inserted  a  letter  from 
the  U.  S.  steamer  St.  Louis,  written  previous  to  her  de- 
parture, and  signed  by  eleven  of  her  crew,  who  went 
forth,  bearing  the  banner  of  Christ.  These  brethren 
succeeded,  during  the  entire  cruise  of  thirty-three 
months,  in  maintaining  a  prayer  or  experience-meeting, 
or  a  Bible  class,  every  night,  with  brief  intervals,  during 
which  they  were  interfered  with  by  ship's  duty,  or  were 
driven  from  their  post  by  the  songs  of  the  drunkards  in 
the  brig.  Their  Christian  life,  as  might  have  been  an- 
ticipated, was  subject  to  fluctuations,  and  to  difficulties 
such  as,  at  times,  seemed  almost  insurmountable.  Yet, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  though  their  numbers  were  reduced 
in  seasons  of  depression  to  a  minimum  of  three,  the  ene- 
my did  not  succeed  in  extinguishing  the  light  of  pious 
example  on  the  berth-deck.  The  occasional  defection 
of  a  brother  on  whom  all  had  relied,  brought  grief  to  the 
hearts  of  the  faithful  few,  who,  whatever  the  grounds  of 
their  discouragement,  did  not  allow  themselves  to  "give 
up  the  ship."  They  clung  to  Jehovah's  promise,  to  *'the 
two  or  three  met  together  in  his  name,"  and  illustrated 
by  their  vigilance  and  activity  the  "  perseverance  of  the 
saints." 

Nor  was  their  faithfulness  unrewarded.  They  were 
permitted  to  see  one  after  another  of  the  straying  ones 


410  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

return  to  their  allegiance,  and  take  their  part  in  the  work 
with  renewed  zeal  and  energy.  The  meetings  were  con- 
ducted by  the  brethren  in  turn,  under  the  supervision  of 
our  ever  faithful  J.  A.  Morris,  assisted  occasionally  by 
Lieut.  M.  P.  Jones,  who,  when  permitted,  held  divine  ser- 
vice publicly  on  the  Sabbath.  He  also,  for  a  large  part 
of  the  cruise,  taught  the  Bible  class,  held  invariably  on 
Sabbath  afternoon. 

The  difficulties  with  which  these  brethren  were  en- 
compassed were  very  many  and  formidable.  A  want  of 
controlling  power  aft  led  to  an  abuse  of  the  men  on  the 
part  of  subordinates.  Some  of  the  officers  punished  men 
according  to  their  own  whims  and  caprices,  and  without 
any  authority  from  the  supreme  command.  Of  one  of 
these,  a  lieutenant,  it  is  said,  that  he  was  a  scoffer  and 
a  persecutor,  the  very  impersonation  of  tyranny  and 
cruelty.  When  these  matters  were  reported,  tlie  men 
obtained  no  redress.  Subsequently  these  abuses  became 
known  at  Washington,  and  the  command  was  changed 
for  the  better. 

Another  trial  to  which  they  were  subjected,  and  from 
which  there  was  no  escape,  was  the  ridicule  heaped  upon 
them  by  their  shipmates.  They  were  dubbed  "  Psalm- 
singers  "  and  ''  hypocrites  ;"  their  hymns  of  praise  and 
their  prayers  travestied.  "  You  *  want  to  go,'  do  you  ?" 
says  one,  referring  to  one  of  their  favorite  hymns  ;  *' tlien 
why  don't  you  go  ?  Jump  overboard  !"  Such  slurs 
were  frequent.  In  the  fore  part  of  the  cruise  there  was 
no  regard  paid  to  the  Sabbath.  An  old  line  officer  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  never  known  so  much  profanity 
and  Sabbath-breaking  in  the  navy.  Men  were  driven 
into  wrong  doing  by   those   in   authority.     "  All   tliose 


SCOFFERS    REMAINED    TO    PRAY.  41I 

occupying  high  places  among  us,"  he  says,  *'  are  without 
the  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes."  ''  Do  not  wonder," 
he  writes  again,  *'  that  some  of  your  members  are  turned 
away.  They  are  driven  to  it  by  the  fear  of  man."  At  an- 
other time  he  reports,  ''many  have  yielded  to  the  assaults 
of  Satan." 

The  chief  difficulty,  before  which  all  others  were 
dwarfed,  was  the  grog- tub,  which  was  the  standing  temp- 
tation, at  least  twice  a  day,  as  they  were  called  to  re- 
ceive the  whiskey  ration  supplied  by  the  Government. 
Many  fell  before  this  giant  evil,  which  appealed  to  their 
old  and  but  partially  subdued  appetite  for  strong  drink, 
and  many  were  drawn  aside,  in  whom  the  appetite  had 
not  yet  been  fully  formed.  The  efforts  of  the  brethren 
to  secure  the  abolition  of  the  grog  ration,  brought  upon 
them  a  v/eight  of  odium  very  difficult  to  bear.  The  ac- 
cusation and  slanders  of  the  slaves  of  the  tub  were  in- 
cessant, and  well-nigh  overwhelming.  To  escape  this 
fearful  daily,  hourly  nagging  of  their  fellows,  the  unstable 
yielded,  and  took  their  places  in  the  line  with  the  rest ; 
meanwhile,  persuading  themselves  that  it  was  no  sin 
to  drink  their  whiskey,  and  if  they  did  nothing  worse 
they  would  be  well  off.  Thus  were  their  consciences 
wounded  and  their  resolutions  to  live  ''  above  the  world  " 
weakened. 

Despite  these  drawbacks,  however,  there  were  frequent 
inroads  made  upon  the  enemy's  ranks,  and  some  who 
came  to  the  meetings  to  scoff  remained  to  pray.  The 
faithfulness  of  the  brethren  was  rewarded  by  occasional 
manifestations  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  prom- 
ise, and  they  were  endued  with  power  from  on  high.  At 
the  close  of  the  first  .year  of  the  cruise,  a  blessed  revival 


412  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

took  place,  and  instead  of  a  few  souls  gathered  at  the 
place  of  prayer — more  than  a  third  of  the  ship's  company 
and  not  a  few  of  the  officers  of  the  ship  were  gathered  to  , 
listen  to  the  invitations  of  mercy  and  to  testify  of  the  lov- 
ing kindness  of  God  to  their  own  souls.  In  a  letter  from 
Lient.  J ,  dated  December  13th,  1859,  he  writes  : 

''I  am  but  too  happy  to  inform  you  that  there  has  been  an 
awakening  among  our  crew.  As  far  as  I  can  see  and  learn, 
there  has  been  nothing  out  of  the  usual  order  of  events  to  engender 
it.  It  is  manifestly  the  work  of  God's  spirit.  The  interest 
showed  itself  when  we  were  least  expecting  it.  You  will  remem- 
ber how  despondingly  I  spoke  in  my  last  letter.  The  prospect 
then  was  dark  indeed.  But  how  often  has  it  been  proved  that  man's 
extremity  is  God's  opportunity.  At  the  very  time  when  we 
were  ready  to  halt  and  our  hearts  were  faint  within  us,  a  light 
shone  out  of  the  darkness.  Our  little  band  of  praying  men,  who 
had  met  for  many  months,  in  a  close  and  confined  part  of  the 
ship,  to  offer  up  prayer  and  praise  unto  the  IMost  High,  and  who 
were  more  than  once  called  to  mourn  over  the  departure  from 
among  them  of  some  misguided  brother  who  had  fallen  under  the 
tempter's  power,  until  there  was  scarcely  more  than  two  or  three 
gathered  together,  are  now  cheered  by  an  increase  of  worshippers, 
and  more  commodious  quarters. 

' '  On  a  quiet  Sabbath  evening,  while  the  voice  of  prayer  and 
praise  is  ascending,  the  usual  noises  cease.  One  after  another 
of  the  crew  approaches  the  place  of  prayer.  Men  known  to  be 
living  in  open  opposition  to  God,  who  have  been  foremost  in 
deriding  his  followers,  are  seen  to  draw  near  until  quite  a  crowd 
is  assembled.  The  next  meeting  is  likewise  well  attended. 
More  strange  faces  are  seen.  iNIen  dead  in  trespasses  and  in 
sins,  are  heard  to  long  for  the  sweet  hour  of  prayer.  The  ques- 
tion arises.  What  means  this  increasing  crowd,  this  unusual  inter- 
est, this  deep,  still,  uninterrupted  attendon  ?  Surely  these  men 
are  not  drawn  by  curiosity.     Neither  do  they  come  as  before  for 


THE   CALL    OF   THE    SPIRIT.  413 

ridicule.  No,  blessed  be  die  name  of  the  Lord  !  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  touched  their  hearts,  the  conscience  is  awakened.  The 
'  still,  small  voice '  has  spoken.  Now,  it  occurs  to  us  that  our 
prayers  are  being  answered.  Strange  that  we  should  have  had  so 
little  faith.  The  interest  is  silent,  but  evidently  deep.  There  is  no 
vain  boasting  or  parade  about  it,  and  so  entirely  is  it  confined  to 
the  crew,  that  I  doubt  if,  at  this  time,  a  single  officer  in  the  ward 
room,  with  one  exception,  knows  a  word  about  it.  May  God 
in  his  great  mercy  grant,  that  many  now  in  darkness  may  be 
enlightened  from  above,  and  brought  into  the  fold.  Yea,  that 
all  may  come  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus. 

**  For  nearly  nineteen  years  my  home  has  been  on  the  deep,  and 
I  am  not  ashamed  to  say,  I  have  always  loved  the  sailor.  I  may 
be  wrong,  but  the  fact  that  a  man  is  a  sailor  hides  many  faults 
with  me,  You  will  readily  imagine,  therefore,  the  deep  interest 
and  concern  I  feel  in  this  most  useful  and  much  abused  class  of 
our  countrymen,  and  with  what  pleasure,  and  satisfaction,  and 
gratitude  to  God,  I  hear  of  the  conversion  of  a  sailor." 

This  testimony  is  corroborated  and  enlarged  by  the  let- 
ter of  Brother  Morris,  dated  December  26th,  1859,  which 
I  here  give  entire.  My  only  regret  is  that  I  cannot  give 
the  correspondence  of  the  brethren  more  fully. 

*' United  States  Ship  St.  Louis, 
*'  San  Juan  de  Nicaragua,  December  26th,  1859. 
"  Dearly  Beloved  Pastor — It  is  my  pleasant  duty  to  communicate 
to  you  the  glorious  tidings  that  the  Lord  has  been  graciously 
pleased  to  bless  us  with  a  revival.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  come  down 
among  us  with  power,  and  I  think  I  can  confidently  say,  that  with 
the  exception  of  some  decided  infidels  and  bigoted  Romanists, 
there  are  but  few  individuals  on  board,  that  have  not  more  or  less 
felt  its  influence  on  their  hearts.  The  call  of  the  Spirit,  however, 
has  been  differently  received  by  different  persons,  for  while  some 
have  yielded  to  his  admonitions,  repented  and  believed,  many  har- 


414  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

den  their  hearts,  and  seek  to  drive  away  serious  thoughts  by  railing 
against  Christians  and  their  religion.  In  my  last  letter  I  did  not 
look  upon  the  work  as  entided  to  a  place  among  revivals,  as  that 
term  is  generally  accepted.  Strange  mixture  of  blindness  and 
unbelief  on  my  side,  not  to  see  the  blessing  when  it  had  come,  after 
having  prayed  so  long  for  it !  But  we  find  a  parallel  case  in 
Acts  xii.  Looking  back,  however,  from  this  advanced  point  in  the 
work,  I  can  trace  its  commencement  to  the  first  days  of  October.  At 
that  time  the  Lord,  as  an  evidence  of  having  heard  our  prayers,  re- 
stored one  from  his  backslidings.  Since  then  the  blessed  work  has 
been  going  on  with  unabated  interest.  I  have  no  time  to  detail 
many  interesting  facts  connected  with  the  conversion  of  some  of 
my  shipmates  ;  I  shall  therefore  confine  myself  to  some  striking 
features  and  peculiarities  that  distinguish  this  revival. 

"  1st.  As  far  as  short-sighted  man  can  see,  and  the  law  of  cause 
and  effect  goes,  nothing  has  occurred  in  the  way  of  extra  eftbrt 
that  can  be  looked  upon  as  having  contributed  to  bring  it  about. 
It  must  therefore  be  looked  upon  as  a  direct  answer  to  prayer. 
2nd.  Those  once  most  wicked  and  depraved  among  the  ship's 
company,  are  now  among  the  converted.  3rd.  An  uncommon 
degree  of  sorrow  and  contrition  for  sin,  has  been  exhibited.  4  th. 
Most  of  the  converted  take,  at  once,  an  active  part  in  our 
meetings,  and  some  have  already  begun  missionary  labor  among 
us. 

' '  A  marine,  on  the  day  after  his  conversion,  referring  to  an 
article  he  had  read  in  a  religious  paper,   in  connection  with  the 

work  onboard  the  North  Carolina,  last  year,  said,  'M ,  since 

I  read  it,  a  voice  has  been  speaking  to  me,  saying,  that  as  the 
Lord  has  been  so  merciful  to  me,  I  must  henceforth  labor  for 
him.'  Thus  far  he  has  kept  his  promise.  Another,  two  days  after 
confessing  Christ,  conducted  a  noon  prayer-meeting  in  the  mizzen- 
top.  This  man  once  had  the  disposition  of  an  enraged  tiger  ; 
now  it  is  that  of  a  gentle  lamb.  Once  his  mouth  was  full  of 
bitterness  and  cursing,  now,  prayers  and  praise  ;  once,  all  hatred, 
now,  all  love.     O  that  I  could  impart  to  you,  my  beloved  pastor, 


CONVERTS    ON    THE    ST.    LOUIS.  415 

a  faint,  yet  correct  idea  of  the  spirituality  and  blessedness  of  our 
meetings  of  late  I  I  may,  perhaps,  be  best  able  to  gain  this 
object  by  copying  a  few  notes,  made  by  me  at  the  close  of  each 
day,  to  which  I  refer. 

"Sunday,  December  i8th,  I  opened  the  meeting  with  prayer, 
and  reading  the  third  chapter  of  the  gospel  of  John.  Oh,  what  a 
solemn  meeting  !     I  suppose  one-fourth  of  the  crew  were  present  ; 

several  officers,    I    think    five    or   six.      P and    E ,    in 

touching  language,  told  their  experience.  They  expressed  to  all 
present  their  great  joy,  flowing  from  a  sense  of  the  Saviour's 
pardoning  love.  They  invited  all  to  come,  and  wash  in  that 
fountain  in  which  they  had  been  cleansed.  They  engaged  in 
prayer,  in  which  both  seemed  to  have  no  small  power.  Groans 
and  sobs  were  heard  all  around,  and  the  tears  of  penitence  were 
coursing  down  the  cheeks  of  many  a  hardened  sinner.  It  is  to 
be  believed  that  many  silent  prayers  for  mercy,  that  night,  went 
up  from  the  berth-deck  of  the  St  Louis  to  the  throne  of  God, 
who  '  desires  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  would  rather  that  he 
should  turn  and  live.'     Before  the  closing  of  the  meeting  eight 

rose  for  prayer.     One  of  the  officers,  I\Ir.   G ,   said,   '  we  all 

want  you  to  pray  for  us. ' 

"As  I  hurriedly  left  the  place  of  prayer  to  attend  to  my  duty 
on  deck,  a  young  mizzen-top  man  clung  to  me  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and  said,  '  I  want  to  have  a  long  talk  with  you,  and  you 
must  pray  for  me.'  Oh,  merciful  God,  the  thought  is  over- 
whelming, that  one  so  unworthy  as  I  am  is  thus  honored,  in 
being  permitted  to  pray  for  and  with  sinners  !  In  having  manifest 
evidences  that  such  prayers  are  heard  !  To  the  Lord,  and  to 
him  alone,  be  all  the  praise  and  glory. 

^'Wednesday,    21st,   evening   prayer-meeting,    well  ^attended. 

I  think  half  of  the  ship's  company  were  listening.      Lieut.  J , 

who  led  the  meeting,  read  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews, 
showing  the  nature  of  living  faith.  I  addressed  the  young  con- 
verts and  exhorted  them  to  diligence  and  prayer,  in  reading  the 
scriptures,  in  watching,  in  self-denial,   and  faith  in  the  Saviour. 


4l6  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

After  dismissal,  retired  by  the  foremast  to  pray  with  one  who  had 
been  three  days  under  deep  conviction.  The  Httle  place  was 
crowded.     A  general  outpouring  of  souls  in  prayer  commenced, 

and  continued  about  an  hour.      B.  P and  S ,  with  deep 

contrition,  cried  to  the  Lord  for  mercy.  God  grant  that  they 
may  soon  be  able  to  rejoice  in  the  salvation  of  the  Lord. 

' '  The  result  of  this  revival,  as  far  as  it  can  be  ascertained,  is 
that  nineteen,  according  to  their  own  confession,  have  found  the 
'  pearl  of  great  price. '  We  believe  that  the  Lord  will  soon  bless 
us  still  more.  We  ask  the  prayers  of  the  Church  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  this  blessed  work  among  us,  that  souls  may  be  con- 
verted, God  glorified,  and  His  Son  honored.     Amen. 

"It  seems  to  me,  that  a  decided  change  for  the  better  has 
taken  place  in  the  public  sentiment  on  board  our  ship.  It  is  true 
that  infidels,  and  a  few  Roman  Catholics,  rage,  but  that  does  not 
deter  us.  All  the  officers  are  now  in  our  favor,  and  are  kind  to 
us.  Last  week  the  first  Lieutenant  showed  us  his  good  will  by 
issuing  an  order  that  no  sentry  on  the  berth-deck  should  on  any 
pretense  interfere  with  us  while  worshipping,  which  was  the 
case  the  other  night,  when  an  Irish  marine  on  post,  close  by  us, 
interrupted  one  of  the  brethren  while  engaged  in  prayer,  telling 
him,  '  not  to  make  so  much  noise. '  We  have  privileges  extended 
to  us,  that  praying  men  on  board  of  other  ships  do  not  enjoy. 

'  *  Two  brethren  from  the  Sabine  were  on  board  our  ship 
yesterday,  Christmas  day,  and  took  part  in  our  afternoon  service. 

It  was  a  blessed  day.      In  the  forenoon   Capt.    P called  all 

hands  to  prayers  on  the  quarter-deck.  In  the  afternoon  and 
evening  we  had  prayer-meetings.  All  the  brethren  send  you 
their  love,  and  ask  to  be  remembered  in  your  prayers.  Adieu  ! 
May  God  bless  you,  is  the  fervent  prayer  of  your  affectionate 
brother  in  Christ." 

Another  brother,  writing  of  this  work  later,  says  : 

"  The  attendance  on  our  meetings  for  the  past  month  has  been 
slowly  but  steadily  increasing.     We  have  now  an  average  of  fifty 


CREW    ON   TIP-TOE.  417 

at  our  meetings,  exclusive  of  outsiders,  who  are  stretching  them- 
selves on  tip-toe  to  hear  the  word  of  life.  The  whole  ships' 
company  are  engrossed  with  the  subject  of  religion.  It  is  the 
constant  theme.  In  the  hammocks  at  night,  they  talk  about  it — 
they  even  go  into  the  tops  by  day  to  pray.  God  be  praised  for 
this  glorious  news  !  Surely,  my  dear  pastor,  the  Lord  is  with  us, 
of  a  truth.  Tell  all  the  brethren  the  glad  tidings.  Tell  them  of 
the  mighty  workings  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  on  board  the  St.  Louis, 
Tell  them  to  pray  for  us  all,  that  we  may  have  grace  to  help, 
that  we  may  have  faith,  yes,  faith  to  appropriate  the  promises  of 
our  blessed  Saviour,  and  give  all  the  glor>'  to  God." 

The  good  work  above  described  continued,  until  the 
number  of  those  who  took  active  part  in  the  meetings 
reached  to  over  thirty,  while  the  interest  extended  at 
times  to  more  than  one-half  of  the  ship's  company. 
There  came,  however,  toward  the  close  of  i860,  a  falling 
away.  But  in  the  following  spring,  the  Holy  Spirit 
vouchsafed  to  the  little  band  another  time  of  refreshing, 
in  which  backsliders  returned  to  their  allegiance,  and 
some  of  those  who  had  before  been  passed  by  were 
brought  under  the  saving  power  of  Divine  grace. 

The  hearts  of  the  brethren  were  once  more  made  glad, 
and  anticipated  great  things.  But  between  these  periods, 
Satan  raged  more  fiercely  than  ever.  The  followers  of 
Christ  were  hissed  and  hooted  about  the  decks,  as  if  they 
were  the  enemies,  instead  of  the  benefactors  of  their  ship- 
mates. Bawdy  songs  were  shouted  in  the  ears  of  the 
disciples,  while  they  were  engaged  in  prayer,  and  in 
songs  of  praise.  The  drunkards  who  were  confined  in 
the  brig,  made  sport  of  and  blasphemed  them  and  their 
worship.  Under  these  circumstances  the  meeting  was 
closed  for  a  few  days,  but  only  to  be  re-opened  and  carried 
forward  with  unabated  vigor,  as  soon  as  the  culprits  were 

2^] 


41 8  FIFTV    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

discharged  from  their  imprisonment.  Under  the  intense 
strain  to  which  the  chain  of  brotherhood  was  thus  sub- 
jected, some  of  the  weaker  hnks  gave  way,  bringing  pain 
to  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  few,  who  notv/ithstanding  all 
these  discouragements,  continued  their  public  service  to 
the  very  end  of  the  cruise,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  work  of  the  Lord  again  pros- 
pering in  their  hands. 

After  the  ship  was  put  out  of  commission,  the  disciples 
were  scattered,  some  of  them  returning  to  their  homes, 
and  obtaining  employment  ashore,  that  they  might  be 
able  to  worship  God  without  the  distractions  incident  to 
the  ship's  berth-deck.  Others  re-entered  the  navy,  and 
were  drafted  into  different  ships,  where  they  became  the 
nuclei  of  other  religious  gatherings,  the  centres  of  other 
praying  circles,  in  Vvhich  the  cause  of  God  was  honored, 
souls  saved,  and  the  Gospel  carried  to  the  regions  lying 
beyond.  Still  others,  after  renewing  their  covenant  vows 
at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  made  successful  applications  for 
official  positions  as  master's-mates  in  the  service.  One 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  boatswain.  Two  of  the 
colored  brethren  gave  themselves  to  a  course  of  study 
preparatory  to  the  Gospel  ministry  ;  and  in  all  proba- 
bility, have  helped  to  continue  the  blessed  work,  which 
gained  such  headway  among  the  officers  and  crew  of  the 
St.  Louis  and  extended  so  widely,  ashore  and  afloat,  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

It  ought  to  be  stated,  to  the  credit  of  these  devout 
seamen,  that  they  did  not  limit  their  well-wishing  and 
well-doing  to  their  shipmates  alone.  Having  learned 
while  lying  offtiie  Tortugas,  that  there  was  no  chaplain 
in  Fort  Jefferson,  they  solicited  and  obtained  permission 


DEATH    OF    MORRIS.  419 

to  go  ashore  and  hold  prayer- meetings  among  the 
soldiers  quartered  there.  Major  Arnold  kindly  assigned 
the  bastions  of  the  fort  to  them  for  that  purpose.  The 
result  was,  that  joy  was  carried  to  many  hearts,  a  large 
amount  of  religious  reading  matter  was  distributed,  and 
some,  who,  in  the  absence  of  the  ordinances  had  been 
cast  down,  were  cheered,  comforted  and  exhorted  to  go 
on  their  way  rejoicing.  They  also  subscribed  of  their 
own  hard-earned  wages  to  aid  in  building  church  edifices 
at  Grey  Town  and  at  San  Domingo,  and  at  times  even 
became  true  lay  preachers  in  the  very  edifices  they  had 
paid  to  erect  and  adorn.  Thus  did  also  the  disciples  on 
board  the  Sabine,  in  the  same  squadron.  Their  faithful 
and  untiring  leader,  John  A.  Morris,  after  coming  ashore, 
passed  his  examination  and  received  the  certificate  of 
captain,  from  the  Ship-master's  Association  of  New 
York,  and  continued  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
taking  his  full  share  of  our  church  work  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  February,  1863,  in  the  fifty-secojid 
year  of  his  age. 


Far  from  this  world  of  toil  and  strife 
He's  present  with  the  Lord  ; 

The  labors  of  his  mortal  life 
End  in  a  larore  reward." 


't)^ 


I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  adding  the  follow- 
ing tribute  paid  to  the  faithful  Christian  character  of  our 
brother  Morris,  by  a  sailor  v/ho  v.^as  brought  to  Christ 
through  his  labor  of  love.  The  writer  is  one,  who  him- 
self, while  a  sailor  on  the  berth-deck,  bore  his  Master's 
banner  into  the  thickest  of  the  figlit  on  the  African  coast 
for  more  than  two  years,  and  who,  for  many  years  after 


420  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

that,  witnessed  a  good  profession  as  an  officer  among  the 

men  of  our  Navy. 

''January  I2lh,  iS6j. 
' '  My  Dear  Pastor — I  feel  it  my  duty  to  say  a  few  words  to 
you  in  relation  to  the  sad  affliction  which  our  church  has 
experienced  by  the  death  of  our  good  brother  Morris.  I  believe 
I  am  the  only  one  here,  at  present,  who  was  on  board  the  '  Old 
North,'  during  the  revival  of  1858.  We  were  in  the  receiving 
ship  Ohio  together,  in  Boston,  and  came  on  to  New  York  in  the 
same  draft,  in  1858.  I  shipped  a  few  days  before  he  did.  I  well 
remember  the  day  when  he  came  on  board.  It  was  late  in  the 
forenoon.  While  we  were  at  dinner  he  was  pacing  fore  and  aft 
the  deck,  having  not  yet  been  assigned  to  any  mess.  I  invited 
him  to  sit  down  and  dine  with  us,  which  he  did.  Little  did  I 
think,  then,  that  he  was  to  be  the  instrument  of  bringing  me  into 
the  family  of  God.  Through  his  influence,  I  was  brought  to  see 
myself  a  poor  miserable  sinner.  I  was  led  to  repentance  through 
the  prayer-meetings  he  established.  If  it  had  not  been  for  those 
services,  I  should  never  have  come  to  you.  On  the  morning 
after  my  conversion,  I  told  my  joy  to  him,  and  asked  him  to 
point  out  some  passages  of  scripture  for  me  to  read.  He  directed 
me  to  ist  John  ii.  Oh,  my  dear  pastor,  I  bless  God  for  those 
meetings,  and  for  his  love  in  snatching  me  as  a  brand  from  the 
burning  !  Many  more,  now  scattered  all  over  the  world,  will 
look  back  to  the  '  Old  North '  as  the  birth-place  of  their  souls 
unto  righteousness  in  1858  and  1859.  I  believe  brother  Morris 
has  gone  home,  and  that  he  has  many  sheaves  with  him.  He 
increased  his  talent  tenfold.  He  was  a  faithful  worker  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord.  There  are  many  who  knew  him  both  at 
sea  and  ashore,  who  will  shed  tears  when  they  hear  of  his  death. 
'  Peace  be  to  his  ashes. '  May  we  all,  at  last,  meet  with  him  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  is  my  sincere  and  heartfelt  prayer. " 

The  writer  of  the  above  is  still  in  the  harness,  and  is  at 
this  date,  February,  1884,  ^  faithful  worker  in  the  church 
of  which  he  is  a  member  in  New  York  city. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

EXTENT    OF    THE    REVIVAL— GULF    SQUADRON. 

A  noble  winner  of  souls— Testimony  to  his  usefulness— Most  precious  meet- 
ing_The  captain's  surprise— His  account  of  it— A  few  more  candles— 
U.  S.  store-ship  Relief  —  Punishing  the  innocent  — U.  S.  steam  fii- 
gate  Brooklyn— Work  of  grace— Worship  in  the  shaft- alley —Letter  from 
paymaster— Preciousness  of  Christian  commvmion — Matters  improving — 
Encomiums  on  the  brethren— The  Brooklyn  imder  fire— A  death  deal- 
ing missile— Hand  of  God  acknowledged— Converts  scattered— U.  S. 
steamer  Cumberland— Prayer-meeting  estabhshed— Attacked  by  the 
Rebel  ram— Bravery  of  the  crew— Sunk  with  her  ensign  apeak— Strange 
coincidence— U.  S.  steamer  Sabine— Worship  between  quarter-deck 
guns— Increase  of  disciples— A  light  in  the  darkness— Ailillerymen 
seeking  the  Lord— U.  S.  steamer  Roanoke— A  faithful  few— Eleven  out 
of  five  hundred  and  sbcty  confessing  Christ— One  hour  a  week  to  wor- 
ship God. 

In  looking  over  the  area  covered  by  this  blessed  revival, 
it  will  doubtless  be  readily  observed,  that  in  all  its  varied 
phases,  there  is  a  degree  of  resemblance,  both  in  the 
manner  of  its  manifestations,  and  in  the  difficulties  it 
encountered.  The  sources  of  help  and  of  obstructioi> 
are  nearly  alike  in  all  cases ;  so  that,  to  detail  the  ex- 
periences of  the  disciples  of  Christ  in  each  vessel,  would 
involve  a  tedious  repetition.  To  avoid  this  a  summary, 
rather  than  a  detailed  history  of  each  will  be  given. 
The  successes  and  failures,  the  advances  and  decline  of  the 
cause,  the  facilities  for  carrying  on  the  work,  and  the 
drawbacks  experienced  by  the  brethren  of  the  U.  S.  ships 

421 


422  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

Savannah  and  St.  Louis,  will  afford  an  idea  of  the  perils 
which  generally  beset  the  faith  of  the  brethren,  as  well 
as  of  the  sources  of  that  encouragement  to  continuity  and 
perseverance,  by  which  they  were  in  each  event  sus- 
tained. I  will  therefore  state,  in  brief,  the  condition  of 
things  spiritual,  as  far  as  known,  in  the  vessels  compos- 
ing the  Gulf  Squadron  between  the  years  1858  and 
1S61. 

On  board  the  Powhatan,  the  cause  of  Christ  was  re- 
presented by  a  young  Swede,  a  convert  of  the  receiving- 
ship,  and  a  member  of  our  church.  He  was  exceedingly 
zealous  in  his  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  his  shipmates, 
and  succeeded  nobly  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  I  was 
in  close  correspondence  with  him,  from  the  time  of  his 
conversion,  in  1858,  to  the  summer  of  1865.  He  had,  at 
that  time,  passed  through  all  the  perils  of  the  war  un- 
scathed. He  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  Charleston,  S. 
C,  after  it  came  into  our  hands,  and  by  dint  of  his  perso- 
nal energy,  bravery,  and  good  character,  rose  from  before 
the  mast  to  the  position  of  acting-master.  He  was  a  noble 
representative  of  Christ,  and  a  very  amiable  and  indefa- 
tigable man.  The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
those  who  knew  him  best,  may  be  seen  in  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter,  written  by  a  member  of  our  church, 
in  the  same  squadron,  who  visited  the  Powhatan  in 
January,  186 1.      He  says  : 

' '  I  went  on  board  the  flag-ship  this  evening,  and  attended  the 
prayer-meeting.      They  are  having  glorious  times.      The  success 

of  the  leader  of  the  meeting,  F.  M .  I  found  to  be  far  beyond 

my  expectations.  The  ship  has  been  out  but  a  few  months,  yet 
the  Lord  has  been  so  gracious  to  the  brethren  as  to  give  them 
twelve  souls  for  their  hire.     Two  others  are  under  conviction, 


A  NOBLE  WINNER  OF  SOULS.         4-3 

with  the  prospect  of  many  more.  This  is  the  Lord's  doings.  I 
have  reason  to  beUeve,  from  what  I  saw,  that  the  Holy  Spirit's 
influence  is  felt  by  many  hearts  on  board  that  blessed  ship.  Oh, 
what  a  meeting  we  had  !  How  solemn  !  What  earnest,  fervent 
prayers  went  up  !  What  songs  of  praise  !  What  loving  invitations 
to  sinners  to  come  to  the  Saviour  !  A  great  many  outsiders  were 
gathered,  and  listening — all  were  eager  and  attentive.  How  quiet 
and  orderly  on  the  berth-deck,  so  different  from  the  condition  of 
affairs  with  us.  Quite  in  contrast  with  the  fearful  noise,  and  vio- 
lent interruptions,  amid  which  we  of  the  St.  Louis  are  compelled 
to  worship.  It  was  one  of  the  most  precious  meetings  I  ever 
attended.  God  grant  that  the  work  of  grace,  now  going  on,  may 
continue,  until  the  salt  of  the  gospel  has  seasoned  and  purified 
the  whole  ship.  Captain  Mercer,  who  is  in  command  of  her, 
visited  the  brethren  a  few  evenings  ago,  and  expressed  his  great 
satisfaction  at  seeing  Christian  sailors  on  board  his  vessel,  assem- 
bled for  prayer.  God  favors  these  brethren  greatly.  They  suffer 
no  persecution  from  either  officers  or  men.  On  the  contrary, 
everybody  seems  to  respect  them  because  of  their  pure  Christian 
lives. " 

Li  connection  with  this  good  brother's  testimony,  I 
may  add,  what  will  confirm  his  impressions,  an  account 
of  an  interview  had  with  the  captain  of  the  Pow- 
hatan subsequently.  On  her  return  from  the  gulf,  I  was 
introduced  to  Captain  Mercer  in  the  Brooklyn  Navy 
Yard.  After  the  formalities  of  the  introduction,  he  said 
to  me : 

* '  We  had  some  of  your  members,  Mr.  Jones,  on  board  the 
Powhatan  during  the  last  cruise  ;  and  fine  fellows  they  were,  too. 
I'll  tell  you  how  I  came  to  know  them.  We  were  lying  at 
anchor,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  South-west  Pass, 
and  one  evening,  I  went  below  to  take  a  look  at  the  ground 
tackling.  On  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  I  was  attracted 
by  a    light,   forward,   in  the  eyes   of  her.     Wondering   what   it 


424  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

meant,  I  draw  near  silently,  and  heard  men  conversing  in  a  low 
tone  ;  I  saw,  too,  by  the  light  of  a  single  candle,  that  some  of  the 
best  men  in  the  ship  were  there  assembled.  I  stood  in  the  dark- 
ness and  listened.  They,  of  course,  were  entirely  unaware  of  my 
presence.  While  I  stood  there,  watching  and  wondering,  they 
sung,  in  a  subdued  voice,  one  of  their  hymns,  and  then  one  of 
thoir  number  led  in  prayer,  while  they  all  bowed  down  before 
God.  Being  convinced  that  they  were  in  no  mischief,  and  that 
they  were  engaged  in  divine  service,  I  returned  to  my  cabin,  as 
quietly  as  I  came.  But  the  incident  set  me  thinking.  Here  are 
men,  said  I,  to  myself,  '  who  are  worshipping  God  on  board  my 
ship,  and  I  knew  nothing  about  it.  What  a  lesson  for  me  1 
W^hat  can  I  do  to  help  them  ?  I  ought  at  least  to  countenance, 
aid,  and  protect  them. '     Well  J  in  the   morning,    I  sent  for  F. 

M ,    who  seemed  to  be   the    most  prominent   man   among 

them,  to  come  to  my  cabin.      I  said  to  him,  '  M ,  where  were 

you  between  two  and  eight  bells,  in  the  dog-watch,  last  night  ? 
Touching  his  fore-lock  respectfully,  he  replied,  *  In  the  forward 
part  of  the  gun-deck,  \sir. '  *  What  were  you  doing  there  ?' 
'Holding  a  prayer-meetmg,  sir.'  'How  long  have  you  been 
holding  these  meetings  ?'     '  For  some  months,  now,  sir.' 

"  I  expressed  my  satisfaction  by  telling  him,  I  was  glad  to  find 
my  men  engaged  in  so  good  a  v/ork,  and  hoped  that  they, would 
continue.  '  Is  there  anything, '  I  asked  him,  '  that  I  can  do  to 
help  you  .?'  The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  my  mouth,  before  I 
feared  that  I  might  have  said  too  much  ;  or  that  my  question 
might  have  committed  me  too  far.  He  perhaps  would  ask  more 
than  I  was  prepared  to  yield.  What  if  he  should  ask  me  to  come 
and  worship  with  them  ?  Or  to  take  the  lead  of  the  meeting  ? 
My  fears,  however,  vv^ere  all  speedily  dispelled  by  the  modesty  of 
his  request.  He  was,  evidently,  not  inclined  to  take  advantage 
of  my  offer  in  such  a  way  as  to  compromise  me.  An  expression  of 
pleasure  and  gratification  passed  over  his  features.  He  drew  him- 
self up,  hitched  up  his  troujer.^,  and  touching  his  forelock  again, 
said,  to  my  incomparable  relief,    'A  few  more  candles,   if  you 


PUNISHING   THE   INNOCENT.  425 

please,  sir.'  Delighted  to  be  let  off  so  easily,  I  gave  the  necessary 
order  to  have  the  candles  served  out,  and  the  meetings  were  con- 
tinued." 

On  board  the  store-ship  Relief,  five  converts  of  the 
*  Old  North,'  conducted  a  prayer-meeting,  which  for  some 
months  continued  to  thrive,  yet,  not  without  the  usual 
accompaniment  of  opposition,  and  wilful  disturbance  ; 
which,  whatever  else  failed,  was  kept  up  without  abate- 
ment. At  length,  after  enduring  untold  suiiering  for 
more  than  a  year,  three  of  the  little  band,  their  patience 
being  exhausted,  made  their  escape,  by  deserting  the 
ship  ;  the  only  door  left  open  to  them. 

Such  conduct  was  of  course  reprehensible  and  cowardly, 
and  brought  reproach  on  the  cause  of  religion.  In  this 
instance,  the  guilty  having  escaped,  it  was  quite  in  accord 
with  the  sense  of  justice  maintained  by  some  in  authority 
to  punish  the  innocent  who  remained  true,  for  the  sin  of 
the  guilty  who  had  gone.  The  faithful  ones  were  for- 
bidden to  hold  any  further  religious  service  on  board. 
This  prohibition  continued  for  three  months  ;  after  which 
the  first  Heutenant  relented,  and  gave  permission  to 
resume  the  prayer-meetings.  This  was  conducted  by  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  Mariners'  cliurch,  who, 
some  months  afterwards,  departed  in  the  fulness  of  a 
Christian  hope,  to  that  good  land,  where  persecution  and 
opposition  are  unknown ;  '*  where  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest" 

A  few  true  and  faithful  Christian  men,  members  of  the 
Baptist  Mariners',  and  my  o\v^n  church,  were  included  in 
the  draft  from  the  receiving-ship  to  man  the  Brooklyn. 
The  Paymaster,  Thomas  H.  Looker,  a  devoted  man  of 
God,  was  also  attached  to  her,  and  became  an  efficient 


426  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

helper  with  them  in  Christian  work.  He  gave  to  the  men 
his  counsel  and  sympathy,  and  took  part  in  their  prayer- 
meetings,  which  he  sometimes  led.  These  meetings  were 
conducted,  with  exceptional  interruptions,  during  the 
entire  cruise  of  about  three  years.  He  also  read  the 
church  service  to  them  on  Sabbath  afternoons.  At  one 
time  in  February,  1859,  six  conversions  were  reported, 
as  resulting  from  their  labors,  with  many  more  anxiously 
inquiring.      Concerning  this,  one  of  the   men  wrote   me : 

"We  have  our  meeting  on  the  berth-deck,  forward,  alongside 
of  the  galley,  every  night.  A  great  many  of  the  crew  attend. 
We  expect  a  more  suitable  place  will  be  assigned  to  us  shortly. 
The  meetings  at  first  were  attended  faithfully  by  some  of  the  line 
officers,  and  the  assistant-engineers.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining 
a  suitable  place,  large  enough  to  accommodate  all  who  should 
attend,  seemed  to  be  in  the  way  of  the  desired  success. " 

The  Christian  men  were  subjected,  too,  to  the  usual 
annoyances,  and  carried  on  their  work  under  difficulties. 
Nevertheless,  two  nights  in  the  week  were  set  apart  for 
Bible  class,  two  for  prayer- meetings,  and  one  for  experi- 
ence meeting.  In  June,  the  first  and  third  assistant- 
engineers  were  brought  to  confess  Christ,  and  were  added 
:o  their  numbers.  One  of  these  united,  subsequently, 
with  the  Baptist  church  in  Pensecola. 

Still  later,  in  April,  1861,  I  received  the  following, 
written  by  Paymaster  Looker,  for  presenting  which 
entire,  I  make  no  apology,  as  it  reveals  a  condition  of 
things,  such  as  we  of  the  land  can  scarcely  imagine,  and 
such  as  is  only  equalled  by  the  worshipping  "  Arinarii," 
or  sand  diggers  in  the  catacombs,  under  the  city  of 
Rome. 

' '  Reverend  and  Dear  Sir — Your  letter  was  welcomed  heartily, 


LETTER    FROM    A    PAYMASTER.  427 

and  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  your  kind  words  of 
sympathy  and  encouragement.  Alas  !  we  very  m^uch  need 
sympathy  here.  However,  things  are  gradually  brightening  with 
us  again.  Our  meetings  are  underweigh  and  prospering  once 
more,  and  I  trust,  nay,  I  feel  real  good  is  resulting  therefrom. 
The  place  to  which  we  are  driven,  that  we  may  uninterruptedly 
hold  our  meetings,  is  a  very  humble  one ;  very  contracted,  and 
from  its  character  and  position  is  not  over-pleasant,  being  away 
down  in  the  run,  in  the  shaft-alley.  It  is  both  narrow  and  dark. 
It  is  rather  trying,  as  we  have  steam  on  more  or  less,  all  the 
time  ;  but,  still,  for  all  this,  it  is  a  place  in  which  we  can  worship 
and  wait  upon  God  in  all  freedom  and  fulness.  Thank  God  for 
that !  For  oh,  it  is  so  comforting  and  precious  to  meet  together 
in  Christian  communion  !  We,  situated  as  we  are  here,  prize  the 
privilege  far  more  than  you  on  shore  can  do.  You  can  enter 
God's  house,  surrounded  by  Christian  brethren.  I  am  rejoiced 
that  I  can  now  meet  with  our  little  band  as  in  days  past. 

"  For  a  long  while,  owing  to  the  outrageous  lawlessness  of  the 
crew,  and  our  meeting- places  being  constantly  taken  up  for 
'brigs,'  or  prisons,  all  was  broken  up.  I  could  not  be  with 
them.  But  gradually,  step  by  step,  things  have  improved.  The 
men  have  taken  advantage,  as  they  could,  of  opportunities,  so 
that  we  are  now  fairly  afloat  again.  It  had  been  maliciously 
reported  that  the  faithful  few  of  our  praying  men,  only  gathered 
at  the  meetings  because  I,  being  with  them  there,  might  give 
them  a  lift  to  some  good  billet.  I  was,  therefore,  as  I  have  been 
ever  since,  under  restraint  with  regard  to  them.  I  did  not  go 
down  at  all,  at  first,  fearing  that,  by  doing  so,  1  might  injure  the 

cause  unwillingl}'.     But  soon  I  started,  and  Mr.  B ,  our  first 

assistant-engineer,  an  excellent  man,  one  of  the  noblest,  and  a 
Christian  brother,  accompanied  me." 

Speaking  of  some  of  our  dear  brethren  who  had  borne 
the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day,  amidst  the  foulest 
obloquy,  he  testifies  to  their  Christian  faithfulness  under 
trial,  thus : 


428  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

**  That  man,  A.  A ,  is  as  true  as  steel.     I   think  him  as 

true  and  faithful  a  man  as  I  ever  met.  A  consistent,  earnest 
Christian,  and  withal  a  very  smart  fellow.  One  of  our  new  con- 
verts too,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  and  hear,  F.  P ,  is  an  exceed- 
ingly intelligent  Christian.     C and  A are  still  of  us  ; 

and  others,  whose  names  I  cannot  remember.  I  believe  I  told 
you  about  my  failure  after  all  to  get  our  captain  to  permit  me  to 
read  the  service  publicly,  on  Sundays.  He  promised  me,  but 
something  happened,  on  the  first  Sabbath  after,  to  prevent ; 
and,  well  —  he  broke  down,  could  not  get  up  the  courage, 
evidently,  to  initiate  it.  The  old  story,  you  know,  *  What  will 
the  world  say  T  Thanks  be  to  God  !  private  worship  cannot  be 
taken  from  us.  We  cannot  be  prohibited  from  honoring  God, 
and  from  walking  in  His  ways.  The  people  of  this  world  are 
neither  our  judges  here,  nor  the  arbiters  of  our  eternal  destiny. 

* '  We  are  in  the  midst  of  perilous  times  here,  and  now  every 
moment,  almost,  we  expect  to  be  engaged  in  batde  with  the 
rebels.  God  grant  it  may  not  be,  and  yet,  if  it  must  come,  we 
must  do  our  duty.  We  must  uphold  and  defend  our  govern- 
ment, and  stand  by  our  glorious  flag,  at  every  hazard,  and  at 
every  cost,  even  unto  death.  As  true  men,  as  loyal  officers  and 
crews,  and  as  faithful  Christians,  we  must  do  our  whole  manful 
duty.  No  man  on  earth  would  more  deplore  the  sad  necessity 
of  fighting  these  infatuated  and  misguided  countrymen  of  ours 
But  my  duty  is  plain  !  We  have  prepared  ourselves  for  the  worst ' 
Pray  for  us,  that,  if  we  are  killed,  we  may  be  ready  for  eternity. ' 

One  year  later  I  find  the  meetings  still  kept  alive, 
though  with  occasional  interruptions,  on  account  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  things,  growing  out  of  the  rebel- 
lion.    A  brother  wrote  me,  under  date  of  March,  1 862  : 

' '  We  still  have  the  privilege  of  meeting.  The  captain  we 
now  have  is  a  pious  man,  and  reads  the  service  every  Sunday. 
One  more  soul  has  come  out  on  the  Lord's  side. " 

Shortly  after  the  receipt  of  the  above,  the  Brooklyn 


THE    BROOKLYN    UNDER    FIRE.  429 

entered  into  the  fearful  engagement  with  the  batteries 
and  forts,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  to  Vicksburg. 
Many  of  the  brethren  passed  through  the  fiery  ordeal 
unhurt,  although  in  some  instances  escape  seemed  al- 
most by  a  special  interpositon  of  divine  Providence. 
Nor  did  these  men  fail  to  recognize  and  acknovdedge  the 
goodness  that  spared  them.  One  of  them  wrote,  giving 
a  description  of  the  passage  of  the  lower  forts — Jackson 
and  St.  Philip,  and  adds: 

'' God  has  showed  us,  in  this  last  fight,  special  mercy.  We 
fought  three  hours  under  heavy  fire.  The  shot  and  shell  fell  all 
around  us  like  hail.  Thank  God  !  he  is  the  hearer  of  prayer. 
Our  captain  is  a  shining  witness  for  the  truth,  and  as  firm  as  a 
rock.      Remember  our  little  flock  in  your  prayers." 

Another  wrote  in  May,  from  the  upper  Mississippi,  off 
Vicksburg  : 

' '  God  has  blessed  us  greatly  in  these  trying  times.  He  has 
brought  me  safely  out  of  the  heat  of  battle,  where  danger  was  on 
every  side.  I  trusted  in  Him,  and  I  am  delivered.  I  thought,  in 
the  midst  of  the  fight,  of  the  promise  in  Psalm  xci.  7  :  'A 
thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten  thousand  at  thy  right  hand, 
but  it  shall  not  come  nigh  unto  thee !'  It  was  fulfilled  in  my 
case.  The  crew  of  my  gun  were  cut  up  awfully.  Out  of  seven- 
teen, six  only  were  left  uninjured.  A  shot  from  the  shore  tore 
through  our  bulwarks,  scattering  the  splinters  right  and  left.  It 
could  not  have  missed  me,  if  I  had  been  standing  in  my  usual 
place  at  the  gun.  But  the  hand  of  God^vas  in  it.  I  was  in  the 
port,  loading  the  gun,  just  at  the  moment  it  struck  us  above  my 
head.  It  was  God  who  guided  me  there,  so  that  it  did  not  come 
nigh  unto  me." 

On  board  of  the  Pawnee,  Cumberland,  Congress, 
Wyandotte,     Mohawk,     and     Pursuit,    converts    of    the 


430  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

"  Old  North,"  were  scattered  in  twos  and  threes ;  but 
in  some  cases  they  were  compelled  to  be  content  to  hold 
their  own  personal  conmunion  with  God,  and  private 
converse  with  their  shipmates.  The  Cumberland,  I 
believe,  was  the  only  ship  in  the  squadron  that  had  a  chap- 
lain. He,  with  the  executive  officer  and  two  seamen, 
when  she  sailed,  were  all — as  far  as  I  could  learn — who 
represented  "  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints." 
One  of  the  two,  wrote  me  in  March,  1861  : 

"We  hold  our  prayer-meeting  every  Sunday  evening.  Our 
chaplain,  I  am  sorry'  to  say,  does  not  interest  himself  in  us.  I 
went  to  him  three  times  to  obtain  the  privilege  of  holding  a 
nightly  prayer-meeting  ;  but  he  only  put  me  off  with  promises. 
At  last  I  went  to  our  executive  officer,  and  obtained  from  him 
the  privilege  we  craved,  and  a  place  to  hold  our  sei*vice.  The 
Lord  blessed  our  efforts.  Five  of  our  shipmates  have  been  con- 
verted, and  more  are  under  conviction.  We  are  praying  that 
many  more  may  yet  be  added  to  our  number.  There  were  only 
two  of  U3  forward,  when  we  left  New  York,  the  doctor,  steward, 
and  m.yself.  We  are  nov/  seven.  Pray  for  us  all,  that  we  may 
hold  out  faithful  unto  the  end. " 

In  May,  he  wrote  :    "We  have  been  compelled  to  give  up  our 
place  of  worship  ;  we  are  hoping  to  have  a  more  suitable  place 
assigned    us.       Many    of  our   men  say  that    they  vvant  to  b 
Chrisiians,  but  they  fear  that    they  cannot  endure  the  scorn  o.' 
their  shipmates." 

The  brave  but  hopeless  fight  which  this  ship  and  the 
Congress  made  with  the  Rebel  ram  Merrimac,  in  Hampton 
Roads,  in  March,  1862,  has  passed  into  history  as  one 
of  the  many  noble  exhibitions  of  bravery  displayed  in 
naval  warfare.  The  action,  in  which  she  went  down 
with  her  ensign  apeak,  was  fought  on  the  8th  of  March. 
On  the  5th,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  brother,   quoted 


A    DEATH-DEALING    MISSILE.  43 1 

above,  bewailing  the  persecutions  to  which  they  were 
subjected  for  Christ's  sake,  and  expressing  the  hope  that 
there  would  be  no  fighting,  and  that  he  might  soon  be 
permitted  to  go  home.  A  postscript  was  added  by  an- 
other hand — one  of  the  five  new  converts,  asking  me  to 
send  him  a  copy  of  Baxter's  ''Saints  Rest,"  and  expressing 
the  hope  that  he  might  soon  be  enabled  to  abandon 
the  sea  forever.  Only  three  days  after  I  received  those 
communications,  both  the  v/riters  were  cut  in  two,  at  the 
same  instant,  by  a  shot  from  the  ]\Ierrimac,  w^hile  at 
quarters  at  the  same  gun.  Thus  the  one  reached  hom^e 
sooner  than  he  expected,  and  in  a  far  dilTerent  sense. 
The  other  not  only  abandoned  the  sea  forever,  but  became 
speedily  acquainted  with  the  "  Saints  Rest."  He  learned 
more  of  that  rest  in  a  short  time  than  Baxter  could  have 
taught  him.  Aye  !  more  than  Baxter  when  writing  ever 
knew.  The  chaplain,  it  was  reported,  went  down  with 
the  ship. 

With  the  Congress,  the  affair  terminated  somewhat 
differently.  She  too,  had  among  her  crew,  seven  men 
of  God,  true  and  faithful,  on  the  day  the  Merrimac  at- 
tacked her.  One  of  the  seven  wrote  me  under  date  of 
March  5  th,  three  days  before  the  action  : 

"JNIy  Saviour  'sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.'  He  is  with 
me  wherever  I  go,  even  on  shipboard.  The  Lord  always  takes 
care  of  his  children.  Pie  brought  me  into  this  ship.  Oh, 
brother, 

'  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform.' 

''We  have  started  a  meeting  for  prayer.  Four  men  have  been 
converted  since  vv^e  commenced.  I  do  believe,  that  if  this  ship 
stays  out  two  years,   all,   officers  and  men,   would  be  converted. 


432  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

Our  captain  is  a  religious  man.  Some  of  the  men  scorn  us  and 
sneer  at  us.  But  the  officers  are  our  friends.  God  has  provided 
protection  for  us — oh,  God  always  protects  his  own. " 

This  letter  was  signed  by  seven  brethren,  who  asked 
our  prayers.  To  the  glory  of  God,  and  as  an  exemplifi- 
cation of  their  faith,  it  ought  to  be  stated,  as  the  writer 
informed  me  afterwards,  God  did  *'  protect  his  own"  in 
that  fearful  fight,  for  not  a  hair  of  the  head  of  one  of  the 
seven  was  injured.  This  good  brother  carried  the  ban- 
ner of  the  cross  into  seven  diiterent  vessels  of  war,  after 
that,  and  witnessed  a  good  confession  for  Christ  in  each 
one  of  them.  He  has  been  faithful  in  his  day  and  gen- 
eration since,  and  at  this  date  (November  3rd,  1883,)  is 
a  living  and  working  Christian.  His  light  shines  on  the 
coast  of  Japan,  where  he  is  in  command  of  a  Japanese 
steamer,  trading  between  Yokohama  and  Hong-Kong. 
THE    U.    S.    SHIP    SABINE. 

There  were  on  board  the  Sabine,  when  she  left  to  join 
the  Gulf  Squadron,  in  1859,  three  devout  men,  new  con- 
verts, from  the  parent  hive.  They  at  once  entered  upon 
their  Master's  work  with  much  energy  and  new-born 
zeal.  They  were  not  permitted,  at  first,  to  hold  public 
service.  This  however  did  not  dampen  their  ardor, 
nor  prevent  them  from  laboring  for  the  souls  of  their 
worldly-minded  shipmates.  The  spirit  manifested  by 
these  faithful  men,  is  shown  in  their  correspondence. 
In  October,  1859,  one  of  them  wrote  : 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  our  captain  will  not  allow  us  to  hold 
any  public  service.  Yet  we  meet  together  between  two  guns 
every  night.  We  sing  and  pray.  The  officers  know  all  about 
it,  but  no  one  disturbs  us.  We  were  only  two,  that  met  at  first ; 
now,  we  are  nine." 


WORSHIP    BETWEEX    QUARTER-DECK    GUNS.      433 
Another  brother,  later,  says  : 

''We  have  no  opportunity  to  hold  pubhc  prayer- meetings. 
But,  bless  the  Lord,  some  of  us  get  together  in  the  evening  and 
recount  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God  to  our  bodies  as  well  as 
to  our  souls.  We  strive  to  comfort  one  another  by  repeating  the 
promises  of  God  to  his  faithful  ones,  and  thus  help  each  other  on 
the  blessed  v/ay.  I  thank  the  Loi-d  that  1,  the  vilest  of  the  vile, 
ever  started  in  his  service.  I  am  determined,  God  assisting  me, 
with  or  without  the  public  means  of  grace,  come  weal,  come 
woe.  sickness  or  health,  to  serve  Him,  even  unto  death,  his  grace 
sustaining  me,  for  I  am  helpless  alone. " 

Subsequently,  on  application  to  the  captain  for  per- 
mission to  hold  their  meetings  on  the  berth-deck,  be 
answered,  "  there  is  no  room  below  ;  you  may  sing  and 
pray  between  two  of  the  quarter-deck  guns,  and  no  one 
shall  molest  you.  But,"  he  added,  with  emphasis,  ''  don't 
make  too  much  noise."  Some  time  after  this,  the  quarter- 
deck was  required  for  theatricals  and  negro  minstrelsy, 
and  the  praying  men  were  relegated  to  the  now  deserted 
gun-deck.  Here,  in  the  darkness,  and  in  obedience  to 
the  Divine  command,  they  *'  assembled  themselves  to- 
gether," and  nightly  exhorted  each  other  to  hold  converse 
with  God,  and  to  pray  for  the  success  of  his  cause  among 
their  shipmates.  In  November,  i860,  the  number  of 
the  disciples  had  increased  to  ten.  In  March,  a  brother 
wrote  : 

"God  has  answered  our  prayers  by  increasing  our  numbers. 
At  last  we  have  permission  from  the  captain  to  have  a  lamp  every 
night.  We  have  eighty  artillerymen  on  board.  The  first  day 
they  came  on  board,  we  invited  them  down  to  our  meeting. 
They  were  surprised  to  find  a  prayer-meeting  in  a  man-of-war. 
Two  of  them  are  already  seeking  the  Lord.  There  are  now 
2'^ 


434  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

thirteen  of  us,  altogether.  This  is  the  very  time  we  have  been 
praying  for,  for  the  last  twenty  months. .  Pray  for  us  !  and  let 
us  praise  God's  holy  name  together.  These  men  have  been 
providentially  sent  here,  and  I  hope  they  will  carry  the  glad 
tidings  with  them  into  the  army.  Make  special  prayer  that  we 
may  have  the  blessing  of  the  Lord,  without  which  we  can  do 
nothino-." 


These  devoted  men  continued  their  meetings  and  their 
efforts  for  souls,  until  the  term  of  their  enlistment  ex- 
pired. Some  of  them  entered  other  vessels  of  war,  and 
carried  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  with  them,  into  their 
respective  ships.  They  were  in  the  habit,  as  opportunity 
offered,  of  visiting  and  corresponding  with  their  Christian 
brethren  on  the  diffei-ent  vessels  composing  the  Squadron, 
exhorting  and  encouraging  them  to  faithfulness.  One 
of  them,  writing  to  the  St.  Louis,  says  : 

''I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  there  is  a  little  band  of  faith- 
ful ones  on  board  the  Roanoke.  They  hold  their  meetings  on 
the  berth-deck.  Thank  God  we  are  not  alone.  If  there  were 
only  a  few  of  God's  people  in  every  ship  in  our  Navy,  what  a 
blessed  thing  it  would  be  !  for,  by  the  help  of  God,  this  well-be- 
gun work  must  increase  ;  and  if  we  are  faithful  to  Him,  this  will 
be  a  glorious  Navy  indeed,  one  in  which  all  are  united  in  praising 
and  glorifying  God."  I 

In  corroboration  of  the  above,  it  may  be  stated,  that 
four  members  of  our  church,  converts  of  the  receiving- 
ship,  carried  the  leaven  of  gospel  truth  on  board  the 
frigate  Roanoke  in  January,  1859.  In  March  following, 
one  of  them,  in  a  letter  to  me,  said : 

"  Our  men  leave  no  means  untried  to  persecute  us,  but,  thank 
God,  they  have  not  succeeded  yet,  in  turning  any  of  us  back  to 
the  world." 


ONE    HOUR    A    V\'EEK    TO    WORSHIP    GOD.  435 

In  May,  he  writes  :  "  We  have  had  a  prayer-meeting  but  once 
in  many  months.  We  asked  our  chaplain  to  secure  us  a  place 
for  prayer,  but  hitherto  without  success.  God  is  with  us  daily 
and  hourly  to  strengthen  us  all. " 

In  December,  1859,  the  news  came  that  there  were  ten 
professing  Christians  among  them,  and  that  a  weekly 
prayer- meeting  had  been  established.  In  January,  i860, 
they  say : 

' '  We  are  members  of  diiferent  churches,  but  we  are  all  work- 
ing together  for  the  Lord.  A  meeting  once  a  week  is  all  that  is 
allowed  us.  Pray  for  us  that  we  may  grow  in  grace.  There  are 
five  hundred  and  sixty  souls  on  board  of  our  ship,  and  but 
eleven  of  us  who  are  confessing  Christ.  A  man-of-war  is  a  sad 
place  for  a  person  to  try  to  serve  God.  Such  a  one  is  made 
sport  of,  and  is  but  illy  esteemed.  Thank  God  we  can  overcome 
evil  with  good." 

In  April  the  meeting  Vv-as  very  vrell  attended.  One 
hour  a  week  was  all  the  micn  were  allowed  to  worship 
God.  The  service  was  held  on  the  berth- deck,  amid- 
ships, and  though  so  small  that  twenty  persons  filled  it  to 
its  utmost  capacity,  many  of  the  crew  attended,  standing 
up  outside.  The  meeting  was  continued  until  the  ship 
was  put  out  of  commission  ;  with  what  result  the  final 
day  alone  will  reveal.  Some  of  these  Christian  men  I, 
have  been  enabled  to  follow  for  years,  and  to  mark  the 
integrity  and  purity  of  their  lives.  Some  have  ceased 
"  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

STORM   AND    CALM — A    WILD    CHRISTIAN. 

The  sea-boy's  story — Immoral  practices — The  street  preacher — Danger  of 
hell-fire — Sincere  prayer — From  storm  to  calm — New  life — Good  news — 
U.  S.  steamer  Congress — U.  S.  steamer  Vermont — Moral  courage — Aca- 
demic studies — Captain — Yokahama — Present  usefulness — Ferdinand 
Louis — A  wild  Christian — Converted — U.  S.  steamer  Congress — U.  S. 
steamer  Flag — Working  for  Christ — Enters  the  army — U.  S.  steamer 
Iroquois — Happy  in  domestic  life. 

In  September,  i860,  a  Danish  lad,  who  is  to-day  a 
living  monument  of  the  abundant  mercy  and  grace  of  our 
covenant-keeping  God,  handed  me  the  following  interest- 
ing narrative  : 

'' Dear  Sir — Enclosed  is  a  brief  sketch  of  my  life  up  to  the 
time  of  my  conversion. 

*'I  was  born  in  Denmark.  It  pleased  God  to  bereave  me  of 
my  parents  at  the  age  of  four  years ;  after  which  I  was  taken  to 
live  with  an  uncle  until  I  M'as  fourteen.  To  him,  under  God,  I 
owe  gratitude  for  moral  habits  and  good  education  ;  but  although 
very  moral,  he  was  not  a  converted  man,  and  therefore  I  did  not 
see  much  more  than  the  form  of  religion  as  long  as  I  remained 
at  home.  After  going  to  sea,  I  gave  way  to  many  immoral 
practices  common  to  seafaring  men,  and  for  years  was  travelling 
rapidl}^  on  the  broad  road  to  destruction.  But  it  pleased  God  to 
turn  ray  feet  into  the  way  of  peace,  in  the  following  manner, 

' '  In  the  fall  ©f  the  j^ear  i860,  I  v/as  in  New  York,  and  one 
Sunday  afternoon  we^t  K<^  3,  meeting  held  on  a  canal  boat  in  Old 
436  I 


437 

Slip.  The  preacher  remarked  that  he  had  recently  stood  at  the 
death-bed  of  some  sailors  who  were  many  hundreds  of  miles  from 
home,  with  no  kind  mother,  sister  or  friend  near  to  comfort  them 
in  their  last  moments.  These  remarks  made  a  deep  impression 
on  my  mind,  and  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  prepare  for  eternity,  as 
I  might  soon  be  placed  in  a  like  condition.  After  meeting  was 
closed  I  received,  at  my  request,  a  New  Testament  and  some 
religious  reading  matter ;  and  I  began  from  that  day,  to  seek  for 
what  I  felt  I  needed,  but  of  which  I  then  knew  nothing.  A  few 
Sundays  after  this  I  received  an  invitation  to  come  to  the  I\Tari- 
ners'  church  on  the  corner  of  JMadison  and  Catherine  streets. 
There  I  heard  a  sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  Charles  J.  Jones, 
in  which  he  earnestly  pleaded  with  sailors  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come,  and  embrace  life  everlasting ;  pointing  them  to  Christ 
as  the  only  way.  I  became  deeply  interested,  for  I  felt  that  he 
was  explaining  how  to  find  that  '  one  thing  needful '  which  I  was 
seeking.  From  that  time  I  became  a  regular  attendant  at  nearly 
every  meeting  held  in  that  church,  as  long  as  I  remained  on 
shore.  After  four  days  earnestly  seeking  for  this  peace  of  mind 
and  leaving  off  my  former  sinful  habits,  I  found  gradually  an 
inward  peace  and  joy  taking  possession  of  my  mind,  and  instead 
of  going  to  the  places  of  worldly  amusement,  where  I  had  delight- 
ed to  go  before,  I  now  found  joy  and  pleasure  in  going  to  the 
house  of  God  and  associating  with  his  children.  Before  I  went  to 
sea  again  I  expressed  the  hope  and  belief  that  I  was  converted  ; 
but  by  what  I  afterwards  experienced  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  I  was  not  truly  converted  until  the  next  voyage,  which  I 
soon  aftenvard  made,  and  during  which,  the  following  incident, 
which  I  shall  never  forget,   occurred. 

"  It  was  on  board  a  schooner  bound  to  Wilmington,  N.  C. 
I  was  sitting  in  the  forecastle  one  afternoon,  reading  in  the  New 
Testament  which  had  been  given  to  me  at  Old  Slip.  I  read  that 
*  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother,  thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger 
of  hell-fire.. '  I  suppose  I  had  heard  these  words  before,  but  never 
had  they  m^de  such  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.     Never 


438  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

before  had  I  applied  them  to  myself  as  I  did  now.  I  could  not 
read  further,  but  laid  the  book  down,  and  went  on  deck, 
reflecting  on  these  words.  I  fell  that  I  was  in  danger  of  hell-fire, 
for  I  knew  that  1  had  often  commiUed  that  crime  on  which  that 
dreadful  judgment  was  pronounced.  The  words  sounded  con- 
tinually in  my  ears,  and  1  felt  myself  a  guilty  and  condemned 
sinner.  My  past  sins  rose  up  before  me  like  immoveable  moun-' 
tains.  I  was  in  deep  agony  and  distress ;  for  though  I  was 
looking  up  to  heaven  and  ciying  to  the  Saviour  for  mercy,  it 
appeared  to  me  as  if  He  would  not  hear  me,  and  then  the  awful 
fear  came  over  my  soul  that  I  had  gone  so  far  in  sin  that  I  could 
not  be  pardoned.  Oh,  truly,  no  mortal  can  realize  the  awful 
burden  which  the  meek  and  lowly  Saviour  bore  when,  besides 
bearing  his  cross  amidst  the  sneers  and  ridicule  of  those  for 
whose  salvation  he  was  about  to  die,  He  had  to  bear  the  sins  of 
all  the  world.  Nor  can  we  wonder  that  while  bearing  such  a 
burden,  hanging  with  his  mangled  body  on  the  cross,  Fie  should 
utter  that  agonizing  cry,  '  My  God  !  My  God  !  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me  ?' 

"I  remained  in  this  condition  until  dark,  and  was  anxiously 
awaiting  an  invitation  to  the  prayer-meeting  held  every  morning 
and  evening  in  the  cabin,  that  I  might  ask  the  captain  and  mate, 
who  were  professors  of  religion,  to  pray  for  me.  After  waiting  a 
while,  the  mate  came  forward.  He  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder 
to  speak  to  me,  but  was  surprised  to  find  me  in  tears.  I  told 
him  that  I  was  a  great  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  that  I  felt 
there  was  no  pardon  for  me.  He  informed  me  that  he  himself, 
had  similar  feelings  at  times,  and  he  believed  it  was  a  suggestion 
of  the  Evil  Spirit ;  '  but,'  said  he, '  let  us  go  forward  and  pray.'  I 
went  along  with  him.  We  knelt  together  on  the  deck,  unob- 
served by  any  but  our  God,  and  there  we  both  pleaded  earnestly 
with  Him,  who  alone  can  save  poor  sinners.  Yes  !  I  know  that 
if  I  ever  offered  a  sincere  and  honest  prayer  to  God  for  mercy 
and  pardon  for  my  sins,  it  was  on  that  evening.  But  mark  tiie 
glorious  result !  After  praying  together  for  some  time,   the  mate 


FROM    STORM   TO   CALM.  439 

went  aft.  I  stood  up,  and  in  a  few  moments  a  wonderful  change 
came  over  me,  and  I  do  not  think  that  I  can  explain  it  in  a  bet- 
ter way  than  this.—  It  was  as  if  there  had  been  a  great  and  terri- 
ble storm  within  my  bosom,  the  billows  roaring  and  lashing,  and 
everything  dark  and  gloomy,  previous  to  the  prayers  we  had 
offered  up  to  heaven.  But  graduall}-,  as  we  prayed,  the  storm 
seemed  to  calm  down,  and  at  the  end  of  the  prayer,  after  I  found 
myself  alone,  it  became  perfectly  calm  within  my  bosom.  A 
few  moments  afterwards  I  experienced  such  an  unmistakable 
evidence  in  my  heart,  that  my  sins,  though  many,  were  all  for- 
given, I  felt  an  unspeakable  joy  and  peace ;  and  while  looking 
up  on  that  beautiful  calm  starlight  evening  I  imagined  I  could  see 
my  blessed  Saviour  in  the  starry  heavens  standing  with  his  eyes 
beaming  vv'ith  love  and  pity  and  his  arms  outstretched,  saying,  as 
he  did  to  his  disciples  of  old  when  he  met  them  on  the  sea, 
'Be  of  good  cheer,  it  is  I  ;  be  not  afraid.'  With  these  very 
words  he  that  evening  rebuked  the  dreadful  storm  that  had  been 
raging  within  me.  Yes  !  blessed  be  God,  I  heard  him  that 
evening  saying  to  me,  '  Peace,  be  still. '  '  Thy  sins  are  all  for- 
given thee  !' 

"Your  humble  brother  in  the  Lord,  F.  R." 

Twenty-three  years  have  rolled  into  eternity  since  then. 
That  young  sailor  still  lives,  and  his  whole  subsequent 
course  has  attested  the  genuineness  of  the  marvellous 
change  which  came  over  his  spirit  on  that  starHt  evening 
of  the  long  ago.  It  is  pleasant  therefore  to  record  the 
facts  which  follow.  On  his  return  from  that  voyage,  he 
presented  himself  as  a  candidate  for  membership,  and  on 
the  2nd  of  November,  i860,  entered  into  covenant  with 
God  and  his  Church,  "  to  watch  over  his  own  heart  and 
life  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  to  guard  against  every- 
thing which  might  bring  dishonor  on  the  cause  of  reUg- 
ion,  and  especially  to  exert  himself  in  every  right  way  to 
promote  religion  among  seamen,  to  the  end  that  God  may 


440  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

be  glorified  in  their  salvation."  I  have  followed  his  career 
with  interest  ever  since,  and  can  bear  witness  to  the  faith- 
fulness with  which  he  has  kept  his  covenant  vows.  In 
the  fall  of  1 86 1,  I  received  a  letter  from  a  city  missionary 
in  London,  which  contained  the  following : 

]  "  In  the  course  of  my  ship  visitation  in  the  East  India  Docks, 
I  was  brought  into  communion,  on  board  of  the  American  ship 
Silas  Greenman,  with  two  young  sailors  whom  the  Lord  had 
most  gloriously  blessed  through  your  instrumentality.  They 
are  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  but  by  the  consistency  of 
their  lives  have  done  much  good  among  their  shipmates.  They 
wish  me  to  assure  you  that  you  are  not  forgotten  by  them.  This 
I  am  sure  will  be  to  you  a  good  encouragement  to  go  on  in 
your  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love. 

"  Frank  Rogers  says  that  through  your  labors  the  word  of  the 
Lord  has  been  made  precious  to  his  soul.  He  is  still  following 
the  footsteps  of  the  Lord,  and  is  making  known  to  his  shipmates, 
wherever  he  can,  that  gospel  which  is  able  to  make  them  wise 
unto  salvation,  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  spirit  of  God 
is  now  moving  abroad  upon  the  ocean  with  saving  power.  I 
have  seen  a  ship's  crew  of  eighteen  souls,  who  were  converted  to 
God  without  the  agency  of  any  man.  They  were  brought  under 
conviction  of  sin  at  sea,  and  cried  to  God  only  for  mercy. " 

In  February,  1862,  this  dear  young  brother  was  by  a 
strange  Providence  brought  to  Newport  News,  Va.,  a  few 
days  before  the  U.  S.  frigate  Congress  was  about  chang- 
ing her  crew.  He  enlisted  in  her,  and  at  once  began  to 
work  for  the  salvation  of  his  shipmates.  On  the  2nd  of 
March  he  wrote  me,  saying  how  wonderfully  God  had 
led  him  to  his  ship,  and  rejoicing  that  he  was  in  the 
happy  path  of  life.     He  said  : 

'*  V/e  are  eight  Christian  brothers  on  board.  We  have  prayer- 
meeting  three  times  a  week.     I  am  happy  that  I  came  to  this 


MORAL    COURAGE.  44I 

Christian  country  and  find  people  ready  to  sympathise  with  the 
poor  sailors.  I  am  content  to  go  where  the  Lord  sends  me.  I 
have  given  my  heart  entirely  to  the  Lord,  to  work  for  him  alone. 
Four  of  the  crew  have  been  converted  and  joined  us  in  our  ser- 
vice. Some  of  our  shipmates  scoff  and  jeer  at  us,  but  our  captain 
is  a  religious  man,  and  he  is  our  friend.  God  always  protects  his 
own. " 

This  letter  was  signed  by  eight  men,  all  of  whom, 
marvellous  to  relate,  in  the  terrible  action  with  the  iron- 
clad rebel  ram  Merrimac,  on  the  8th  of  March,  just  eight 
days  after  the  date  of  the  letter,  passed  through  the  fear- 
ful conflict  in  which  the  Congress  was  taken,  without  a 
scratch.  When  the  rebel  tug  came  alongside  to  take  the 
rem.ainder  of  the  crew  prisoners,  Frank  jumped  out  of 
one  of  the  lower  deck  ports  to  swim  to  the  shore  ;  but 
being  exhausted  a  few  yards  from  the  beach,  he  sank,  be- 
came unconscious,  and  was  hauled  out  of  the  breakers  by 
some  soldiers  who  came  to  rescue  any  helpless  one  that 
might  escape.  He  was  resuscitated  and  subsequently 
sent  to  New  York  to  the  receiving-ship  North  Carolina, 
and  thence  drafted  to  the  U.  S.  line-of-battle  ship  Ver- 
mont, then  at  Port  Royal,  S.  C. 

"  His  first  impulse  on  entering  upon  his  duty  was  to  provide 
for  a  public  religious  ser\'ice.  He  heard  that  the  officers  were 
not  favorable  to  such  gatherings,  yet  learning  that  a  meeting  was 
called  by  one  of  the  men  for  the  evening,  his  heart  rejoiced,  and 
at  the  appointed  time  he  went  below  on  the  berth-deck,  where  he 
found  a  colored  man,  solitary  and  alone,  standing  up  to  speak 
for  Jesus,  and  surrounded  by  a  gang  of  men  who  were  mocking 
and  scoffing  and  throwing  things  at  him.  He  immediately 
sprang  to  the  side  of  his  colored  brother  and  announced  himself 
a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  said,  '  I  thanked  God  in  my 
heart  that  he  had  opened  a  door  for  me  to  enter  and  testify  of 


442  FIFTV     VEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

the  goodness  of  our  blessed  Saviour  to  these  men,  who  had  never 
seen  a  meeting  on  board  their  ship.'  The  promptness  and 
bravery  displayed  by  his  advocacy  of  Christ  brought  silence  to  the 
crowd.  This  was  broken  by  the  voice  of  an  aged  man,  the 
gunner  of  the  ship,  who  reproved  them,  and  claimed  that  the 
soul  of  the  colored  disciple  of  Jesus  was  whiter  in  the  sight  of 
God  than  any  of  his  persecutors." 

Having  inaugurated  a  good  work  here,  he  was  drafted 
to  the  U.  S.  steamer  Onward,  at  Charleston,  S.  C. 
From  that  vessel  he  wrote,  June  26th,  1862  : 

' '  Little  did  you  think  when  you  addressed  your  letter  to  me 
on  board  the  Congress,  that  I  should  receive  it  here  ;  yet  so  it  is, 
and  I  live  to  read  it  after  God  has  so  wonderfully  delivered  me 
from  all  harm  in  that  fatal  battle.  It  was  indeed  a  battle  that 
will  never  be  forgotten.  Often  do  the  tears  come  to  my  eyes 
when  I  reflect  on  the  past.  How  many  of  my  poor  shipmates 
fell  on  board  that  ship  who  were  not  prepared  to  die,  though 
they  were  warned  by  me  and  my  brethren,  night  after  night. 
My  heart  is  grieved  within  me,  because  in  eveiy  ship  I  see  so 
many  who  neglect  this  great  salvation,  their  own  highest  welfare. 
Oh,  my  brother,  pray,  and  ask  your  church  to  pray  for  my  poor 
blindfolded  shipmates ;  and  that  I  may  love  and  serve  God 
wherever  I  go,  and  be  a  bright  and  shining  light  in  his  service. 
I  came  aboard  here  a  couple  of  weeks  ago,  and  as  far  as  I  can 
learn,  I  am  the  only  professor  of  religion  in  the  ship.  I  let  my 
shipmates  knov\'  that  I  am  a  follower  of  Christ,  and  have  urged 
them  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  We  are  lying  abreast  of 
Fort  Sumter  and  expect  to  be  engaged  in  an  attack  on  the  city. 
God's  will  be  done,  whether  I  die  or  live.  I  am  ready  to  die,  if 
he  will,  or  to  live  and  labor  for  him.  If  we  do  not  meet  on 
earth,  I  hope  to  meet  you  in  heaven. " 

Tv/o  weeks  later  he  acknov/ledged  the  receipt  of  a 
letter  and  reading  matter,  and    gave  an  account  of  the 


MORAL   COURAGE.  443 

disposition  of  the  same  and  the  observed  results.  He 
had  obtained  permission  from  the  captain  to  hold  reUg- 
ious  service,  and  the  promise  of  protection  from  insults 
or  disturbance.  He  was  in  h.is  element  while  reading  to 
and  praying  with  his  sliipmates.  A  place  had  been 
selected  on  the  berth-deck,  where  everything  done  would 
be  under  the  eyes  of  the  officers.  Only  a  few  attended 
at  first,  but  he  said  he  remembered  what  the  blessed 
Saviour  said  of  the  value  of  one  soul,  and  that  there  is 
joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  over  the  repenting 
one. 

Two  months  later  he  tells  me  of  the  increase  of  the 
numbers  in  attendance,  including  officers,  and  gives  an  in- 
teresting account  of  the  services.  And  still  later,  having 
received  from  mc  hymn-books  and  other  reading  matter, 
in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  them,  he  said  : 

"  I  do  from  my  heart  thank  you  over  and  over  again  for  your 
kindness  in  sending  the  hymn-books.  I  can  no\v  carr}-  them 
with  me  from  ship  to  ship.  Last  Sunday  I  coukl  put  a  hymn- 
book  in  the  hands  of  every  one  who  came  to  the  little  meeting. 
I  shall,  by  the  grace  of  God,  meet  you  in  heaven,  Vv'ith  many 
stars  in  your  crown. " 

In  January,  1863,  the  Onward  came  to  New  York. 
He  expected  to  be  paid  off  and  then  apply  for  an  officer's 
position.  But  it  was  not  to  be  as  he  desired,  and  hence 
he  wrote,  in  February  : 

"I  was  disappointed  in  not  getting  the  position  I  desired  ;  but 
instead  Vv-as  sent  on  the  Onward  again.  I  am  glad  God's  ways 
are  not  our  ways.  Eveiything  he  does  is  for  the  best.  I  have  a 
library  now,  and  have  commenced  our  meetings  for  prayer.  God 
seems  to  bless  me  wonderfully.  I  confess  I  never  met  officers 
who  treated    me  with    more    kindness.      The   captain    himself 


444  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

encourages  me  with  his  presence  in  the  meeting.  Shortly  after 
we  reached  Fayal,  he  made  me  a  quarter-master,  in  order  that  I 
might  have  more  time  to  attend  to  rehgious  services.  A  few 
weeks  ago  we  took  a  blockade  runner,  and  I  with  two  officers  and 
six  men  were  put  on  board  as  a  prize  crew  to  bring  her  to  Key 
West,  where  I  now  am.  While  I  was  on  board  the  Onward,  I 
did  not  see  much  fruit  from  my  labors,  but  I  believe  that  the  seed 
sown  will  bear  fruit  that  may  not  come  to  my  notice. " 

At  Key  West  he  was  transferred  to  the  schooner 
Beauregard.  He  found  the  crew  very  immoral,  but  he 
said,  **  I  will  try  to  let  my  light  shine.  I  am  beating 
up  against  the  strong  current  which  is  carrying  so  many 
poor  fellows  down  to  ruin."  October  12th,  1863,  having 
heard  of  my  transfer  from  the  Mariners'  church  to  the 
Sailor's  Snug  Harbor,  he  wrote,  "  I  am  glad  you  are  still 
laboring  for  the  men  of  the  sea,  for  whose  welfare  you 
have  done  so  much.  Although  I  am  contented  with 
my  present  lot,  having  been  promoted  in  the  service, 
yet  I  could  wish  to  see  the  work  of  the  Lord  prosper, 
as  in  the  Congress.     But  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  we  enjoyed  a  short  visit  at 
our  home  from  this  faithful  servant  of  God,  who,  after 
discussing  the  project  of  studying  for  the  ministry, 
thought  it  perhaps  would  be  better  for  him  and  give  him 
a  wider  ranfje  of  influence,  to  continue  at  sea  and  serve 
the  Lord  among  his  shipmates.  He  therefore  entered 
the  academy  at  South  Berwick,  Me.,  for  the  purpose  of 
studying  navigation,  hoping  that  as  an  officer  he  could 
labor  with  greater  prospect  of  success.  From  this  aca- 
demy he  wrote  the  following  : 

^'  I  am  still  on  the  Lord's  side,  striving  in  my  feeble  way  to 
stand  up  for  my  blessed  Saviour  and  honor  and  glorify  his  blessed 


YOKAHAMA.  445 

name  ;  and  by  his  grace  assisting  me,  I  ahvays  mean  to  do  so,  and 
live  so  that  I  may  be  a  Hght  wherever  he  sends  me." 

Under  date  of  September  8th,  1865,  he  wrote  :  "I  love  my 
blessed  Saviour  now  more  than  ever,  and  find  it  still  my  chief 
joy  to  confess  him  before  a  sinful  world.  If  my  kind  Father 
above  permits  me  to  command  a  ship,  she  shall  be  a  floating 
Bethel.  I  love  to  point  the  sons  of  the  ocean  to  a  crucified  and 
risen  Saviour.  The  Lord  graciously  bless  you  and  your  dear 
family  with  many  temporal  and  spiritual  blessings ;  grant  you 
much  success  in  your  labors  and  many  souls.  Remember  me 
kindly  to  your  kind  wife  and  dear  children,  and  in  your  prayers  ; 
that  if  we  never  meet  again  on  earth  we  may  meet  in  heaven." 

We  have  never  seen  his  dear  face  since  ;  but  as  a  fitting 
close  to  this  record  of  faithful  labor,  I  will  append  an  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  received  in  March,  1S78,  by  a  mu- 
tual friend.     It  was  from  Yokohama,  Japan,  and  said : 

"  If  Rev.  C.  J.  Jones  is  still  pastor  of  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor, 
please  give  him  my  kind  regards,  and  tell  him,  what  I  know  will 
interest  him  much,  that  I  am  now  in  command  of  a  fine  steamer 
here  on  the  coast  of  Japan,  and  yet  I  know  it  will  interest  him 
even  more  to  know  that  I  am  still  travelling  the  narrov/  but 
peaceful  and  glorious  road  that  leads  to  eternal  bliss  and  happi- 
ness. It  was  under  his  preaching,  while  pastor  of  the  Mariners' 
church.  New  York,  that  I  was  first  led  to  follow  my  dear  Saviour. 
Often  has  my  soul  been  refreshed  and  strengthened  for  the  spiritual 
battle  of  life  by  attending  the  Saturday  evening  prayer-meeting  at 
the  Sailors'  Home  in  Cherry  street.  New  York.  With  a  fervent 
prayer  to  God  that  he  will  abundantly  bless  and  prosper  that  and 
all  similar  institutions  in  America,  to  the  present  and  eternal 
good  of  the  American  seamen,  and  all  others  who  shall  come 
within  their  influence, 

*'  I  remain,  dear  sir,  yours  sincerely,    F.   R. 

Commander  of  Steamship  Fuso  Mane." 


446  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

In  a  letter  received  from  Rev.  W.  T.  Austin,  Mission- 
ary to  seamen  at  Yokohama,  dated  November,  1880,  he 
says  of  this  Christian  sailor  :  "  He  is  a  noble  fellow  and  an 
honor  to  his  profession."  In  June,  1881,  he  was  in 
command  of  an  iron  steamer  of  1800  tons,  running  to 
China,  and  still  working  for  Christ. 

FERDINAND    LOUIS. 

Christian  seamen,  as  a  rule,  are  born  with  their  mouths 
open  ;  and  the  first  evidences  of  their  new  birth  are  their 
joyful  acknowledgm.ents  of  the  divine  mercy  in  their  own 
conversion,  and  the  putting  forth  of  missionary  efforts  for 
the  salvation  of  others.  An  illustration  of  this  remark  is 
afforded  in  the  labors  of  one  who  belonged  to  the  little 
company  of  praying  disciples  on  board  the  frigate  Con- 
gress, at  the  time  she  was  destroyed  by  the  Rebel  ram  in 
Hampton  Roads. 

He  was  converted  through  the  agency  of  the  Mariners' 
church,  and  shortly  afterwards  shipped  in  the  Navy  to  aid 
in  maintaining  the  integrity  of  the  Union.  Thenceforth 
the  name  of  Ferdinand  Louis  was  destined  to  figure  pro- 
minently in  the  Navy  and  in  the  Army  both,  until  the 
surrender  of  the  Southern  forces  at  Appomattox,  on  the 
9th  of  April,  1865.  Once  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his 
sins,  with  great  sorrow  of  heart  he  sought  forgiveness 
from  the  Saviour  whom  he  had  so  long  rejected.  With 
the  pardon  of  his  sins  came  the  consecration  of  a  heart 
that  burned  with  no  ordinary  affection,  and  the  devotion 
of  a  life  which  he  considered  no  longer  his  own,  since  he 
had  been  purchased  with  so  great  a  price  as  the  precious 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God. 

After  his   marvellous  escape  from,  the   death-dealing 


A    WILD    CHRISTIAN.  44/ 

missiles  of  the  Rebel  ram,  In  March,  1862,  he  v/as  trans- 
ferred by  the  authorities  to  the  receiving- ship  North 
Carolina,  at  New  York.  During  the  stay  in  Brooklyn  of 
the  crews  of  the  Cumberland  and  Congress,  the  citizens 
of  New  York  gave  them  a  grand  reception  in  the  Academy 
of  Music,  in  April.  On  the  21st  of  May,  the  New  York 
Port  Society  held  its  anniversary  in  the  same  building. 
On  that  occasion,  Louis,  by  request,  delivered  a  short  ad- 
dress, an  outline  of  which  is  here  given,  by  w^ay  of  pre- 
senting him  to  the  reader.  He  was  introduced  as  one 
of  our  sailor  heroes  of  the  Congress,  amid  great  applause, 
and  said : 

' '  My  Christian  friends,  I  thank  God  that  I  am  permitted  to 
speak  a  few  words  to  you.  I  am  thankful  for  the  honor  of  ex- 
pressing my  gratitude  to  these  good  Christians  for  their  love  to 
the  sailor's  soul.  I  have  sailed  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  for 
nearly  twenty  years.  In  the  earlier  part  of  my  time  I  served 
faithfully  in  merchant  vessels,  and  the  last  nine  years  and  a  half 
in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  I  therefore  call  this  country  my  home.  I 
thank  you  to-night  for  your  sympathy  with  us  whose  home  is  on 
the  great  waters.  When  I  first  came  to  the  United  States  and 
saw  that  beautiful  flag  floating  over  the  shores  of  America,  a  land 
where  seamen  from  every  country  find  a  home,  I  looked  upon  it 
as  milHons  of  others  have  done,  with  a  happy  heart.  And  I  tell 
you  there  are  thousands  of  my  countrymen  to-day  in  this  land 
who  will  not  only  stand  up  for  it,  but  are  willing  to  die  for  it. 
My  principal  object  this  evening,  however,  is  to  thank  you  for 
your  religious  interest  in  men  of  my  class. 

"  1  was  born  in  what  we  call  a  Christian  land,  but  I  was  a  wild 
Christian.  One  of  those  who  as  soon  as  they  get  ashore  plunge 
their  head  into  a  rum-shop  and  stick  there  until  the  last  cent  is 
gone.  That  is  the  kind  of  a  Christian  I  was.  I  knew  there  was 
a  God  above,  but  when  alcohol  was  in  me,   my  power  for  good 


448  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

was  gone.  One  day,  while  standing  at  the  door  of  my  boarding- 
house,  a  man  came  to  me  and  said,  '  My  friend,  will  you  take  a 
tract  ?'  I  said,  '  Yes. '  Then  he  said,  '  Will  you  come  to  the 
church  to-night .?'  I  said,  '  I  will,'  and  I  went.  I  saw  some  people 
singing  and  praying,  and  I  heard  some  sailors  telling  what  God 
had  done  for  them  ;  and  I  said  to  myself :  *  Now,  Fred,  now  is 
the  time  for  you.  You  have  served  the  devil  faithfully  for  many 
a  year,  and  what  have  you  got  for  it.  You  have  not  a  second 
suit  to  your  back  !'  But, "  he  added,  "look  at  the  difference  now  ! 
I  am  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  He  is  mine  and  I  am  his  for  ever- 
more. 

' '  But  I  want  to  say  a  word  about  our  good  ship,  the  Congress. 
Some  have  spoken  of  her  as  though  we  did  not  defend  her,  and 
complain  that  we  hauled  down  our  colors,  while  the  Cumber- 
land went  down  with  her  ensign  at  the  peak.  Now,  my  friends, 
look  here.  Put  yourselves  in  our  place,  and  see  whether  we 
were  not  right  in  surrendering  under  the  circumstances.  We 
fought  that  ship  until  two-thirds  of  our  men  were  crushed  into  a 
bleeding  mass  of  wounded  and  dead.  Our  last  two  guns  were 
crimsoned  with  blood  and  brains,  and  you  could  not  move  a  foot 
without  stepping  in  human  gore.  Our  officers  were  too  brave  ; 
they  fought  even  when  the  issue  was  hopeless.  Our  brave  Lieu- 
tenant Smith  was  the  best  man  I  ever  saw.  When  the  Merrimac 
hauled  up  under  our  stern,  and  her  commander  said,  '  Smith, 
will  you  surrender.?'  'No,'  said  Smith,  'not  as  long  as  I  have  a 
gun  to  bear  on  you,  and  a  man  to  load  it'  Our  commanding 
officer  being  killed — cut  in  two  by  a  shot  from  the  enemy, — 
Lieut.  Pendergrast,  as  brave  an  officer  as  could  be,  took  charge. 
The  ship  was  fired  near  the  magazine,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
surrender,  as  we  had  not  a  gun  that  would  bear  on  the  enemy. 

"  I  am  willing  to  continue  in  this  war,  to  go  on  board  any 
other  vessel,  and  spill  my  last  drop  of  blood  for  the  flag." 

His  speech  was  received  with  great  enthusiam,  and  he 
retired  amid  thunders  of  applause.  Soon  after  this,  our 
brother  was   drafted  to   Baltimore,   and   entered   on   the 


U.    S.    STEAMER   FLAG.  449 

crew  list  of  the  U.  S.  steamer  Flag,  which  was  soon  after- 
wards ordered  to  join  the  South  Atlantic  Blockading 
Squadron.  Having  reported  at  Port  Royal,  she  was  sent 
to  cruise  off  the  coast  until  July,  when  she  entered  the 
harbor  of  Charleston,  intending  to  take  part  in  the  attack 
on  that  city.  His  first  letter  to  me  was  dated  July  4th, 
1862.     He  says: 

* '  We  expect  to  attack  very  soon.  We  are  waiting  for  the  iron 
fleet.  The  battle  is  going  to  be  a  very  severe  one.  It  is  estima- 
ted that  a  thousand  guns  will  be  trained  to  bear  upon  us  ;  but 
Yankee  manhood  and  the  strong  arm  of  God  will  enable  us  to 
conquer.  The  Rebel  flag  must  come  down  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  wave  over  Sumter.  Our  officers  are  brave,  and  our  men 
will  stand  by  the  starry  flag  as  long  as  one  ship  remains  above 
water.  When  the  rebellion  is  crushed,  we  hope  to  return  to  our 
sweet  homes  and  our  kindred  to  rest.  But  while  I  write  this,  I 
am  thinking  of  our  heavenly  home,  and  the  honor  and  glory  we 
shall  receive  for  our  labor  if  we  prove  faithful  to  the  end.  Thank 
God  for  such  a  hope  !  Although  I  see  the  dangers  before  me, 
and  have  experienced  them  already  in  the  contest  with  the  Merri- 
mac,  I  fear  them  not  in  my  heart,  for  if  it  is  my  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  call  me  away,  his  will  be  done.  I  wish  every  man  on 
board  could  say  the  same.  For  my  pzrt,  I  will  serve  the  Lord, 
my  God,  if  all  the  evil  spirits  in  hell  should  rise  up  against  me. 
The  grace  of  my  Father  in  heaven  is  sufficient  for  me.  If  He  is 
for  me,  who  can  be  against  me  ?  I  trust  in  God  who  preserved 
me  in  the  first  battle,  and  will  preserve  me  in  the  last.  If  you 
do  not  get  a  letter  from  me  shortly  after  the  battle,  think  of  me 
as  at  home,  in  peace  with  God.  I  am  sorry  to  say  there  is  not 
one  experienced  Christian  on  board.  I  have  spoken  to  many, 
and  they  tell  me  they  would  give  their  hearts  to  God,  but  they 
will  wait  until  they  come  on  shore.  When  I  tell  them  death  is 
certain,  and  this  battle  may  be  the  last  to  them,  they  express  sor- 
row, but  do  not  decide  for  God.  Pray  for  them  and  for  us  all." 
29  ^        ^ 


450  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

August  24th,  on  the  receipt  of  my  pastoral  letter,  he 
wrote  again.      He  says  : 

"The  letter  has  given  me  great  satisfaction.  It  has  been  read 
by  a  great  part  of  the  crew  forward,  and  by  many  of  the  officers 
aft.  I  have  distributed  books  and  papers,  and  have  dernands  for 
copies  of  Testaments  in  different  languages." 

In  November,  again,  he  gives  an  account  of  one  of  his 
shipmates,  to  whom  I  gave  a  copy  of  the  Sailors'  Com- 
panion in  New  York.     He  says  : 

"  Before  he  received  that  book,  he  was  a  drunkard  and  swearer; 
he  is  now  a  constant  reader  of  the  Bible.  He  gives  thanks  to 
God  for  the  change  wrought;  and  asks  the  prayers  of  the  church, 
that  he  may  continue  in  the  good  way."  He  adds  :  "  ]\Iy  heart 
is  full  while  I  write.  I  wish  you  could  see  the  earnestness  of 
many  of  these  men,  and  hear  their  conversation.  Some  say  to 
me,  '  Louis,  tell  me  how  you  obtained  this  blessed  religion  ?' 
My  soul  is  in  heaven,  and  I  seem  to  hear  my  Saviour  whispering 
peace." 

This  letter  contained  the  cheering  intelligence  of  the 
conversion  of  two  of  his  shipmates,  and  says  they  are 
happy  in  a  Saviour's  love.  In  referring  to  seamen,  he 
says  : 

' '  They  have  all  generous  hearts,  and  will  listen  to  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus,  when  they  are  spoken  to  earnestly  and  affectionate- 
ly. I  hope  and  pray  day  and  night  that  the  Lord  will  convince 
them  all.  The  long  letter  you  wrote  has  awakened  a  good  many 
throughout  the  ship,  and  it  is  yet  in  circulation.  The  best  love 
from  all  on  board  the  ship  is  sent  to  you. " 

In  December  one  of  his  shipmates  wTites  me :  **  I 
thank  you  very  much  for  the  beautiful  books  you  sent 
me.     They  arc  read  by  us  all  with  great  pleasure."     The 


WORKING   FOR    CHRIST.  45 1 

writer  of  this  was  the  third  who  had  been  brought  to 
Christ  through  Louis'  influence  and  prayerful  labors. 
Of  him  Louis  says:  "  He  sincerely  loves  the  Lord  Jesus  in 
his  heart." 

In  April,  1863,  Louis  was  sent  North,  sick.  On  his 
recovery  he  married  a  pious  woman,  and  shortly  after 
enlisted  in  the  Second  Regiment  of  New  Hampshire 
Volunteers,  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  from  Point  Lookout, 
Md.,  December  31st,  he  wrote  : 

"  I  thank  the  Lord  this  blessed  day  for  the  privilege  of  writing 
to  you.  I  hope,  my  dear  Christian  brother,  this  will  find  you 
and  your  dear  family  in  good  health.  You  remember  the  letter  you 
wrote  me  at  Charleston.  That  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  me  ; 
I  have  kept  it  ever  since,  I  wish  you  would  write  me  another 
like  it.  I  volunteered  into  the  army  to  help  put  this  rebellion 
down,  and  also  to  work  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Saviour.  I  have 
met  with  many  a  soldier  of  the  Cross  here.  We  have  united  to- 
gether and  agreed  to  commence  a  meeting  in  earnest.  We  start- 
ed with  twenty  members,  and  have  now  over  three  hundred. 
The  Colonel  has  been  kind  enough  to  give  us  sufficient  tim- 
ber to  build  a  church,  which  we  have  completed,  where  we  hold 
meetings  morning  and  evening.  It  would  do  your  heart  good 
to  see  so  many  coming  to  the  Lamb  of  God  for  pardon.  It  is 
supposed  by  all  in  the  camp  that  ere  long  it  will  be  a  regiment 
of  saints.  We  have  upwards  of  twelve  hundred  rebel  prisoners 
in  barracks,  which  we  guard  night  and  day. 

Another  letter  from  the  same  post  speaks  of  the  con- 
tinual progress  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  among  the  sol- 
diers, and  that  the  officers  were  becoming  interested  in 
the  work  of  salvation.  He  was  full  of  rejoicing  not  only 
on  account  of  his  own  spiritual  welfare,  but  for  the  re- 
vival of  the  work  of  the  Lord  among  the  soldiers.  He 
sa}'s : 


452  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  everywhere.  I  scarcely  dared 
believe  that  I  should  see  such  a  work  in  the  army.  '  Glory  be 
to  God  on  high.'  Oh,  my  dear  brother,  my  soul  is  overflowing 
with  the  peace  of  God  while  I  write.  I  fear  no  sickness,  no 
death  ;  I  have  the  Lamb  of  God  for  my  guide.  If  my  fate  be  to 
fall  in  battle  for  my  beloved  country,  it  will  be  because  God  has 
ordained  it.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  done  very  little  for  him  since  Christ 
converted  my  soul.  I  rejoice,  however,  in  the  promise  of  God, 
and  when  the  labors  of  this  life  are  ended,  I  shall  go  home  to  my 
Father's  house  in  heaven." 

A  few  weeks  later,  on  January  20th,  he  says  :  **  Our  church, 
which  will  accommodate  one  hundred  men,  is  full.  Officers  are 
flocking  in  ;  sons  of  men  are  becoming  sons  of  God.  My  desire 
is  only  to  love  the  Lord  with  my  whole  heart  and  to  do  his  will. 
Oh,  how  delightful  it  is  to  work  for  the  Lord." 

In  consequence  of  so  many  of  the  States  requiring 
men  to  fill  up  their  quota  of  troops,  bounties  were  of- 
fered in  the  fall  of  1863,  to  induce  men  to  enter  the 
army.  As  a  result,  the  navy  was  depleted  of  some  of  its 
best  men,  by  seamen  enlisting  as  soon  as  their  time  w^as 
out,  and  of  many  who  deserted  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
the  bounty.  No  such  inducements  being  offered  to  re- 
cruit the  naval  arm  of  the  service,  the  consequence  was 
the  weakening  of  one  branch  to  strengthen  the  other. 
This  mistaken  policy  gave  alarm,  and  efforts  were  made 
to  transfer  such  sailors  as  had  enlisted,  from  the  army 
back  again  to  the  navy.  In  this  way  Louis  found  him- 
self once  more  afloat  in  our  wooden  walls. 

In  May,  1864,  he  writes  from  the  receiving-ship  at 
New  York : 

^'  My  Dear  Brother — The  Saviour  is  still  my  dearest  friend. 
Your  kind  letter  came  as  an  angel  to  me  ;  and  as  I  may  lay  here 
a  week  longer,  do  write  me  again.     I  would  like  to  get  ashore  to 


U.    S.    STEAMER    IROQUOIS.  453 

see  you,  but  will  not  be  allowed  to  leave  the  ship.  Some  men  are 
deserting,  and  the  innocent  suffer  for  the  guilty.  I  thank  God 
I  never  did  desert  my  countiy^'s  flag,  and  I  never  ^\ill." 

In  September,  1864,  he  thanks  me  again  for  the  many 
comforting  words  I  had  sent  him.  He  had  served  some 
months  in  the  U.  S.  steamer  Iroquois,  where  he  had  re- 
ceived my  last  letter.  Now  he  writes  from  the  Ascutney, 
thanking  the  Lord  for  the  full  assurance  of  faith  which 
gladdened  his  heart      He  adds: 

'  *  Tell  the  brethren  not  to  forget  to  bear  me  up  in  their  secret 
devotions.  The  Lord  is  doing  a  great  work  in  this  ship.  Pray 
for  me  that  I  may  stand  up  for  Jesus.  I  never  thought  that  God 
would  choose  a  sinful  man  like  me  to  such  a  work  as  I  am  called 
to  do.  Blessed  be  his  name  !  '  When  he  is  for  me,  who  can  be 
against  me. '  " 

A  few  days  after  he  is  rejoicing  over  another  new-born 
soul,  who  becomes  his  companion  in  the  Lord.  In 
October  he  is  again  transferred,  that  he  may  carry  the 
leaven  of  the  Gospel  of  truth  to  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Don, 
the  flag-ship  of  the  Potomac  flotilla.  Here  too,  he  finds 
a  Christian  brother,  and  rejoices  in  the  happiness  of  the 
man  who  has  made  the  Lord  his  trust.  He  complains 
that  the  moral  condition  of  the  crew  makes  it  difficult  to 
serve  God  among  them;  but  still  he  holds  fast  to  his  in- 
tegrity, and  asks  prayer  "  that  he  may  hold  out  faithful  to 
the  end  and  meet  us  all  in  heaven."  On  November  9th, 
after  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  thanksgiving  sermon 
which  I  had  published,  and  sent  to  the  Army  and  Navy, 
he  closes  a  long  letter,  saying :  *'  If  Divine  Providence 
does  not  permit  us  to  meet  on  the  earth,  O,  gracious 
thought,  we  shall  meet  in  the  kingdom  of  our  blessed 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 


454  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

In  March,  1865,  after  three  years,  he  is  yet  the  happy 
child  of  God.  He  says,  "  I  have  enjoyed  many  happy 
days  in  God's  service,  only  as  a  Christian  can  be  happy. 
I  have  no  desire  to  go  back  to  the  world.  You  have 
been  a  true  friend  to  me,  and  many  a  sailor  has  been  led 
to  Christ  through  your  labors.  I  pray  God  that  he 
will  spare  you  to  point  many  more  to  the  Saviour  of 
sinners."  April  2nd,  1865,  seven  days  only  before  the 
collapse  of  the  rebellion,  he  writes : 

**  I  am  very  happy  that  the  Lord  is  still  so  good  to  me.  I  am 
still  serving  my  Lord  and  Master,  and  am  filled  with  the  greatest 
joy.     I  can  sing 

'  Happy  day,   happy  day. 
When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away.' 

''When  I  think  of  my  past  life,  I  rejoice  in  what  God  has 
done  for  me,  and  by  his  help  I  will  serve  him  as  long  as  I  live. 
A  Christian  brother  has  joined  us,  a  member  of  your  church. 
His  conversation  shows  that  he  loves  the  Lord.  I  enjoy  his 
society  very  much." 

This  closes  the  correspondence  of  this  beloved  brother 
from  the  ship.  Between  the  date  of  this  letter  and  the 
next  he  had  completed  the  term  of  his  enlistment,  and 
had  returned  to  his  home,  carrying  the  same  happy, 
trustful,  confiding  spirit  into  the  walks  of  domestic  hfe, 
which  had  borne  him  up  amid  the  difficulties  of  the  berth 
and  gun-decks  of  a  man-of-war,  and  in  the  tented  field. 
In  his  last  communication  after  the  rebelhon  was  crushed, 
April  24th,  1865,  he  wrote  as  follows : 

"  I  am  once  more  a  free  man,  and  clear  of  the  naval  service 
of  the  United  States.  I  have  not  forgotten  you,  and  I  am  per- 
suaded, from  my  religious  experience,  you  have  not  forgotten  me. 


HAPPY    IN    DOMESTIC    LIFE.  455 

I  thank  God,  I  am  happy  in  a  Saviour's  love,  and  I  hope  to  be 
so  until  I  die.  My  motto  is  honesty,  sobriety,  and  trust  in 
divine  Providence.  Wife  and  I  send  kind  love  to  you.  I  close 
with  a  prayer  that  God  will  bless  you  and  keep  you  till  his  king- 
dom comes.  Pray  for  me  to  the  Lord,  for  he  is  good  to  all  them 
that  seek  him." 

Thus  the  fire  of  divine  love,  kindled  in  the  soul  of  a 
poor  neglected  sailor,  burned  on,  amid  the  darkness  of 
the  ship  and  the  camp,  in  storm  and  in  calm,  at  sea  and 
on  shore,  and  from  ship  to  ship,  in  the  fury  of  battles, 
the  hurtling  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  on  the  bloody  deck 
and  In  the  sick  bay,  undlmmed  by  opposition  and  perse- 
cution, unquenched  by  human  hate  or  devilish  assault, 
illumining  a  life  of  toil  and  suffering  and  of  exposure  to 
danger  and  death,  sustaining  him  in  the  presence  of 
open  and  secret  enemies,  rewarding  his  faithfulness  by 
the  salvation  of  many  precious  souls  among  his  shipmates, 
and  the  Impressing  of  we  know  not  how  m.any  more,  by 
the  force  of  his  godly  example,  and  by  the  sanctifying 
power  of  the  truth  of  God  which  he  bore  to  so  many 
souls.  Well  may  we  accredit  all  this  to  tlie  divine  good- 
ness ;  and  while  acknowledging  the  weakness  of  the  in- 
strument, exclaim,  "  What  hath  God  wrought  ?" 

Can  any  one  reading  this  simple  narrative,  containing 
the  experience  and  daily  deportment,  amid  the  ever 
varying  and  conflicting  scenes  of  life,  through  which  this 
natively  rude  and  uncultivated  sailor  passed,  and  not  be 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  '*the  Gospel  is  the  power  of 
God,"  not  only  to  save  but  to  mould  and  fashion  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  men  to  an  excellence  not  attained  by 
human  culture  ? 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE   AFRICAN  SQUADRON — MISSIONARY   VOLUNTEERS. 

Spiritual  light  on  a  dark  coast— United  States  steamer  Constellation 
— Brethren  favorably  situated — Christian  officers — Prayer  and  temper- 
ance meeting  established — Sixty  sign  the  pledge — Work  revived — 
Meet  the  Niagara — Volunteer  missionaries- Feelings  at  parting — U.  S. 
steamer  Mystic — Sensation  in  the  squadron — Hearts  opened — Just  as  1 
am — Correspondence  appreciated — Noon  prayer-meeting — U.  S.  steamer 
Portsmouth — Twenty  believers — Conduct  of  crew — Faithful  to  covenant 
vows — God  worshipped  nightly — In  the  dark — Letter  from  the  fore-top — 
Faint  yet  pursuing — U.  S.  ships  Sumter  and  Relief — Modern  "  diaspora  " 
— U.  S.  ship  Saratoga — Four  faithful  ones — San  Jacinto — No  public 
meeting — Three  representatives  of  Christ — Testimony  to  their  faithful- 
ness— Future  of  these  Christian  men. 

The  men  composing  the  draft  which  left  the  receiv- 
ing-ship for  Boston,  in  April,  1859,  were  apportioned  to 
the  vessels  then  fitting  out.  Among  these  were  the  Con- 
stellation and  Portsmouth,  for  the  coast  of  Africa,  and 
the  Hartford  for  the  China  Seas.  The  African  Squadron 
consisted  of  the  Portsmouth,  Saratoga,  San  Jacinto, 
Sumter,  Mohegan,  Mystic,  Cumberland,  Marion,  and 
Constellation,  the  latter  being  the  flag-ship.  Each  of 
these  vessels  had  her  contingent  of  professing  Christians, 
the  most  of  whom  were  faithful  to  their  Divine  Master, 
and  represented  him  among  their  shipmates,  with  a  de- 
votion toward  God,  and  a  charity  toward  their  fellow- 
men,  that  will  compare  favorably  with  the  conduct  of  a 
456 


CHRISTIAN    OFFICERS.  457 

like  number  of  Christians  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
Their  earnestness,  patience,  perseverance,  self-denial,  and 
missionary  zeal,  are  worthy  of  all  praise. 

On  board  of  each  of  these  vessels — when  permission 
was  granted — the  daily  prayer-meeting  and  a  temperance 
meeting  were  established  and  maintained,  with  occasional 
interruptions,  during  the  entire  period  of  their  absence 
from  home.  If  spiritual  light  were  visible,  many  a  pre- 
cious gleam  would  have  been  seen  upon  the  waters,  by  the 
denizens  of  the  "  dark  Continent,"  as  these  vessels  passed 
up  and  down  the  coast  in  the  service  of  humanity,  arrest- 
ing the  miserable  and  mercenary  slave-trader,  and  liberat- 
ing thousands  of  men,  women  and  children,  with  dusky 
skins,  it  is  true,  but  with  throbbing  human  hearts,  and 
human  affections  and  sympathies,  who  were  the  objects 
of  cruel  greed.  The  brethren  on  board  the  flag-ship 
were  more  favorably  situated  than  many  others.  When 
they  asked  permission  of  the  first  lieutenant  to  hold  their 
prayer-meeting,  he,  though  not  a  professor  of  religion, 
replied,  '*  With  pleasure.  I  am  glad  that  I  have  such 
men  on  board,  and  will  protect  you  in  your  meetings." 

They  were  very  largely  freed  from  persecution.  They 
had  the  favor  of  their  officers,  some  of  whom  were  Chris- 
tian men.  The  gunner  took  the  lead  of  their  meetings, 
instructed  them  in  divine  things,  and  encouraged  them 
in  the  cultivation  of  their  Christian  graces. 

The  Bible  class  and  the  temperance  meeting  were  sus- 
tained weekly.  Divine  service  maintained  on  the  Sab- 
bath by  one  of  the  lieutenants,  and  intercourse  with  the 
brethren  of  the  other  vessels  of  the  Squadron,  when  prac- 
ticable, was  not  only  permitted,  but  facilitated  and  encour- 
aged.    They  write,  '*  We  meet  with  no  opposition  worthy 


458  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

of  the  name.  An  occasional  slur  Is  cast  upon  some  of 
us,  but  we  must  expect  that  ;  and  we  ought  to  be  thank- 
ful that  we  are  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  reproach  for 
Jesus'  sake." 

As  a  result  of  these  favorable  circumstances,  there  was 
less  defection  on  board  the  Constellation  than  in  other 
ships  where  persecution  raged  and  was  permitted,  and 
where  public  religious  service,  though  not  absolutely  pro- 
hibited, was  so  encompassed  with  difficulties  as  to  make 
its  continuance  a  painful  effort.  The  number  of  conver- 
sions on  board  this  ship  was  not  large.  Only  a  few  were 
induced  to  join  the  original  thirteen  with  which  the  ser- 
vice commenced  in  Boston,  in  June,  1859.  So  trying 
was  this  felt  to  be,  that  some  of  the  brethren  almost 
wished  for  some  opposition,  to  break  in  upon  the  even 
tenor  of  their  way. 

The  effect  of  the  temperance  meeting  was  encouraging. 
Over  sixty  signed  the  pledge  of  total  abstinence,  and 
such  was  the  impression  made  on  that  subject,  that  when 
the  crew  were  allowed  to  go  on  shore  in  Madeira,  with 
liberty  for  forty-eight  hours,  and  a  month's  pay ;  out  of 
over  three  hundred  men  only  forty  showed  any  signs  of 
intoxication.  This  was  considered  a  marvel  of  sobriety 
for   a  man-of-war  in  those  days. 

An  event  of  importance  took  place  in  August,  i860, 
which  is  referred  to  by  one  of  the  brethren  thus:  '*  We 
are  happy  to  inform  you  that  God  has  revived  his  work 
in  our  hearts  lately.  Brethren  are  drawn  closer  together 
in  the  unity  of  the  spirit,  and  in  the  bonds  of  peace. 
Still  we  have  no  conversions  from  among  the  crew." 
This  fact  set  them  thinking  that  it  might  perhaps  be  their 
duty  to  colonize,  and  try  to  do  good  elsewhere.     Two  of 


VOLUNTEER    MISSIONARIES.  459 

them,  therefore,  determined,  if  permission  could  be  ob- 
tained, to  leave  their  comfortable  quarters,  where  every- 
thing was  so  enjoyable,  and  where  the  cause  was  so  ably 
represented,  and  go  on  board  some  other  vessel,  where 
the  gospel  was  without  any  living  advocates  among  the 
crew.  They  prayed  over  the  matter,  and  concluded 
that  the  idea  was  born  of  God.  Learning,  shortly  after- 
wards, that  the  condition  of  things  on  board  the  Mystic 
was  such  as  to  invite  their  aid,  they  made  the  necessary 
application,  which  was  granted,  and  they  were  transferred 
as  above. 

Thus,  Thomas  Dwyer  and  Morris  O'Brien,  two  able 
seamen,  became  missionaries  of  the  cross,  as  truly  as  any 
who  have  ever  taken  their  lives  in  their  hands  to  go  to 
the  heathen.  It  is  barely  necessary  to  say  that  their 
condition  and  surroundings  on  board  the  Mystic  were 
in  perfect  contrast  with  those  of  the  Constellation. 
They  might  have  been  worse  off,  but  for  the  captain  and 
surgeon  of  the  Mystic  being  men  of  God.  They  wel- 
comed these  young  missionaries  with  thankful  hearts  and 
with  open  hands.  Among  the  crew,  matters  were  very 
different.  The  announcement  of  this  change  came  to 
me,  first,  by  the  way  of  the  Constellation.  One  of  my- 
correspondents  wrote  to  me,  under  date  of  August  ijrth, 
i860: 

"Last  evening — Sabbath — =all  our  brethren  were  on  board  the 
Niagara,  and  attended  the  prayer-meeting.  It  reminded  us  of  the 
old  times  on  board  the  North  Carolina,  to  see  Rev.  Charles  S. 
Stewart,  her  faithful  and  godly  chaplain.  To  hear  his  voice,  and 
to  take  part  in  the  service,  as  we  all  did,  was  indeed  a  blessed 
privilege.  It  is  evident  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  moving  among  her 
crew,  in  a  very  reiiiarkable  manner.     I  believe  that  a  great  work 


460  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

will  be  done  on  board  of  her  in  winning  souls  for  Christ.  We 
send  two  of  our  number  on  board  the  Mystic  to-day.  They  go 
as  volunteer  missionaries,  to  try  and  do  some  good  among  her 
crew.  I  learn  that  there  are  no  professed  Christians  among  the 
men.  Pray  with  us,  that  the  'little  leaven'  may  'leaven  the 
whole  lump,'" 

After  these  young  men  had  been  on  board  the  Mystic 
about  tw^elve  days,  Brother  Dvvyer  wrote  to  me: 

"I  shall  never  forget  the  last  day  on  board  the  Constellation. 
I  never  before  realized  how  much  of  bitterness  could  be  mingled 
with  the  sorrow  of  parting  from  those  we  love.  It  was  in  the 
dusk  of  the  evening  when  I  shook  hands  with  the  iast  of  those 
who  accompanied  me  to  this  vessel ;  and,  5o  he  left  me  alone,  my 
tongue  refused  to  utter  the  last  adieu.  My  heart  sunk  within 
me.  It  seemed  as  if  it  had  ceased  to  beat,  for  a  moment,  and 
then  it  swelled  again,  almost  to  the  bursting  point.  For  a  season 
I  was  a  child  again.  I  hid  my  face  in  my  cap  and  wept  until  I 
blushed  for  my  manhood  ;  I  tried  to  command  myself,  but  in 
vain — the  weakness  of  my  nature  asserted  itself  in  spite  of  my 
volition.  Just  then  the  divine  word  came  to  me,  '  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me  ;  and 
whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come  after  me  cannot  be 
my  disciple.'  From  that  moment  I  was  strengthened  to  face  the 
difficulties  of  my  position.  Brother  O'Brien  and  I  came  here  for 
just  one  purpose,  namely,  to  become  missionaries  of  Him  who 
loved  us,  and  gave  himself  for  us.  I  fell  at  His  feet,  and  solemnly 
dedicated  myself  anew  to  that  work,  asking  no  greater  blessing 
than  to  be  the  bearer  of  his  cross  after  him." 

The  self-sacrificing  act  of  these  young  men  produced  a 
profound  sensation  throughout  the  whole  squadron.  As 
it  was  felt  that  they  had  undertaken  a  difficult  task,  many 
honored  their  zeal  and  bravery,  who  despised  their  re- 
ligion. They,  themselves,  went  immediately  to  work. 
Through  the  kindness  of  the  surgeon,  who  gave  up  the 


HEARTS    OPENED.  461 

dispensary  for  the  purpose,  a  meeting  was  established, 
of  which  he  subsequently  became  the  leader.  The  crew 
were  invited  to  attend. 

Within  a  few  days  the  Lord  opened  the  hearts  of  two 
young  men,  as  he  had  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia  of  old. 
One  of  these  was  the  surgeon's  steward.  Both  of  them 
became  active  and  earnest  workers  for  Christ.  In  a  few 
weeks,  a  third  soul  was  added.  The  number  was  thus 
increased  to  seven.  Monday,  Wednesday  and  Friday  of 
each  week,  found  the  chosen  few  assembled  to  invoke 
the  blessing  of  God,  on  the  godless  crew.  The  lamp, 
lighted  here,  continued  to  burn  with  undimmed  lustre 
amid  the  surrounding  darkness,  until  the  vessel  was  or- 
dered home,  about  a  year  afterwards. 

One  of  the  converts  of  this  vessel,  whom  I  had  never 
seen,  wrote  me,  under  date  of  May  6th,  1861  : 

^^  Dear  Sir — I  have  received  your  kind  messages  by  Brother 

D .     I  must  say  that  I  have  often  wondered  what  would  have 

become  of  me.  I  was  walking  in  the  way  of  death.  I  know 
that  hell  would  have  been  my  portion  if  I  had  died  before  these 
Christian  men  came  on  board.  I  have  been  at  sea  about  eight 
years,  but  I  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  a  prayer-meeting 
on  board  of  a  man-of-war.  Since  the  meeting  was  established 
here,  I  have  felt  myself  to  be  a  '  new  man '  in  Christ  Jesus,  my 
Lord.  He  has  plucked  me  as  a  '  brand  from  the  burning. '  I 
am  BOW  trying  to  serve  Him  faithfully.  I  have  his  promise  that 
Avhatsoever  I  ask  in  his  name  '  He  will  do  it. '  I  want  to  be  able 
to  say  -with  Peter,  '  Lord  thou  knowest  all  things — thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee,'     I  can  say  now  : 

■*  Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  thou  bidd'st  me  com.e  to  thee. 
O,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come.' 


462  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

*'Pray  for  me,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  may  press  forward,  carrying 
aloft  the  banner  of  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  Our  meetings  con- 
tinue every  evening.  I  feel  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  with  us.  We 
have  one  young  man  added  to  our  number,  and  another  inquir- 
ing the  way. " 

These  devout  workers  of  the  Mystic  were  encourage:' 
occasionally  by  the  appearance  of  some  new  face  at  the 
place  of  gathering ;  and  sometimes  it  became,  as  they 
themselves  testify,  "the  very  gate  of  heaven,"  to  their 
souls.  In  the  mean  time,  the  work  on  board  the  Constel- 
lation went  on  as  before.  In  February,  1861,  a  brother 
wrote : 

''Your  efforts  to  do  us  good  have  been  many,  and  untiring  ; 
tracts  and  books  have  come  to  us  from  you,  in  abundance  during 
all  the  cruise.  We  know  of  the  love  you  bear  us,  by  your 
kindness  to  us,  while  we  were  yet  on  board  of  the  North 
Carolina.  Not  yours  only,  but  that  also  of  your  flock.  Your 
aim  has  been  to  save  our  souls  and  thus  to  glorify  the  King  of 
kings,  who  shed  his  precious  blood  for  such  worms  as  we.  Your 
visit  to  the  receiving-ship  Ohio,  before  we  left  Boston,  I  heartily 
thank  you  for.  It  was  a  blessed  season  of  refreshing  to  me.  I 
have  never  forgotten  it.  The  faithful  epistles  you  have  written  to 
us  so  frequently  and  regularly,  ever  since,  have  cheered  me.  I 
enjoy  the  reading  of  them  very  much,  and  sometimes  have  the 
pleasant  soul-satisfaction  of  weeping  tears  of  thankfulness  to 
God  for  putting  it  into  your  heart  to  show  us  such  love,  away 
off  here  on  this  most  desolate  coast  of  Africa.  I  believe,  verily, 
that  you  think  more  about  us,  than  we  do  about  ourselves. 
Your  prayers  for  us  have  been  heard,  and  have  done  us  much 
good.  You  know,  as  you  say  in  your  letter,  '  that  we  are  in  the 
field  of  fight,  while  you  are  tarrying  by  the  stuff. '  Ah  !  my  dear 
pastor,  I  wish  we  were  more  actively  engaged  than  we  are,  that 
your  saying  might  be  truly  applied  to  us.  We  have  to  struggle 
hard  to  hold  our  own.     Especially  is  this  the   case,   when   the 


NOON  PRAYER- MEETING.  463 

enemy  catches  us  napping,  and  gets  into  the  camp  among  us. 
Then  we  cry  lustily  to  the  Great  Captain  of  our  Salvation,  who 
is  always  near  ;  albeit  our  eyes  are  sometimes  so  dimmed  by  the 
smoke  of  battle  that  we  cannot  behold  him,  yet  he  always 
delivers  us,  according  to  his  gracious  promise.  When  I  consider 
the  '  toils  and  snares '  through  w^hich  '  we  have  already  come, ' 
I  attribute  much  of  our  present  peace,  to  the  prayers  of  yourself 
and  church,  which  ascend  like  incense,  when  you  present  us  in 
the  arms  of  faith  and  love  at  the  mercy-seat.  It  is  pleasant  to 
hear  that  so  many  seamen  are  turning  to  the  Lord.  '  It  is  His 
work,  and  it  is  man'ellous  in  our  eyes. '  " 

In  June,  1861,  they  established,  in  addition  to  the 
other  services,  a  noon  prayer-meeting-,  between  one  and 
two  bells.  They  found,  to  use  their  own  words,  ''  that  it 
did  them  a  power  of  good."  The  last  communication 
from  this  ship,  before  she  returned  to  the  United  States, 
ran  thus  : 

"We  received  your  affectionate  pastoral.  It  gives  us  great 
joy  to  hear  of  the  work  of  grace  among  sailors  in  the  States.  We 
are  all  grateful  to  you  for  your  kind  and  wdse  counsel,  and  your 
continued  care  for  us,  while  we  are  absent  from  you.  It  is  so  full 
of  encouragement.  Be  assured  that  you  are  never  forgotten  in 
our  prayers.  Our  meeting  still  flourishes  ;  so  that,  although  we 
do  not  see  the  increase  we  desire  and  pray  for,  we  yet  enjoy  the 
preciousness  of  the  promise  of  God  to  the  two  or  three  gathered 
in  His  name." 

U.    S.    STEAMER    PORTSMOUTH. 

On  board  this  vessel,  some  twenty  of  the  crew  in 
all  were  professing  Christians.  Twelve  were  members  of 
our  church  and  eight  of  the  New  York  Baptist  Mariners' 
church.  They  were  reduced,  however,  from  time  to 
time,  after  reaching  their  cruising  ground,  by  the  making 


464  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

up  of  prize  crews  to  man  the  slavers  which  were  taken 
and  sent  home.  One  of  the  number,  a  Baptist,  was 
drowned,  of  whom  his  shipmates  testified,  **  that  he  wit- 
nessed a  good  profession  up  to  the  hour  of  his  decease." 
The  conduct  of  the  crew  in  general,  towards  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  church  was  anything  but  kind.  During 
the  whole  cruise,  efforts  were  made  to  drive  them  from 
their  steadfastness,  and  it  must  be  admitted,  that  in  some 
instances  they  succeeded  but  too  well.  Some,  however, 
Avho  were  drawn  away  by  the  enticements  of  the  grog  tub, 
and  by  the  slanderous  and  scurrilous  epithets  of  their 
shipmates,  came  back  to  their  allegiance  to  Christ  with 
redoubled  zeal,  before  the  cruise  was  over.  In  the  face 
of  all  these  untoward  circumstances,  a  faithful  few  kept 
true  to  their  covenant  vows,  and  sustained  the  worship 
of  God  openly  for  a  large  part  of  the  time  of  their  absence, 
every  night  in  the  week.  It  does  not  speak  very  well 
for  the  officers  of  the  ship,  some  of  whom,  at  least, 
were  professors  of  religion,  and  members  of  churches, 
that  these  men  were  compelled,  during  nearly  the  entire 
cruise,  of  more  than  two  years,  to  worship  God  in  the 
dark.  Their  meeting- place  was  between  two  guns  in 
the  starboard  waist.  Here  they  gathered  nightly,  after 
the  hammocks  were  piped  down.  The  leader  of  the 
meeting  wrote  me,  September  24th,  1859: 

"  The  starboard  side  has  been  generally  quiet,  but,  lately,  our 
voices  are  drowned  in  the  noise  made  around  us  by  the  skylark- 
ing of  the  men  all  along  the  gangway.  As  we  are  compelled  to 
worship  in  the  dark,  we  are  unable  to  read  or  to  sing,  except  sucL 
hymns  as  we  have  committed  to  memory.  We  have  but  little 
advantage  here.  I  am  writing  this  letter  in  the  fore-top.  I 
know  that  you  can  sympathize  with  me,  in  the  absence  of  better 
facilities. " 


CONDUCT   OF   THE   CREW.  465 

Nine  months  later,  they  were  still  holding  on.  They 
complain,  however,  that  the  language  used  toward 
them  by  their  ungodly  shipmates,  was  ''scandalous." 
Another  brother  says:  ''  The  crew  seem  to  be  embittered 
against  us."  And  again  :  "the  conduct  of  our  ship's  com- 
pany would  shame  Sodom."  One  little  incident  which 
occurred  at  San  Paulo  de  Loanda,  speaks  volumes  for 
the  estimation  in  which  the  worsliip  of  Jehovah  was 
held  by  those  who  were  in  authority: 

"  We  were  engaged  in  divine  service  on  the  Sabbath  morning," 
says  the  writer,  "when  the  quarter-master  reported  that  the 
French  commodore  was  approaching  the  ship.  The  service  was 
immediately  arrested,  and  the  buckets  and  capstan  bars,  which 
we  had  extemporized  into  seats,  were  hurried  below  as  soon  as 
possible,  that  the  deck  might  be  clear  for  his  reception.  We  had 
no  service  therefore  on  that  day.  It  afforded  our  enemies  an 
opportunity  to  triumph  over  us,  and  you  may  be  sure  they  made 
good  use  of  it,  in  speaking  evil  of  the  truth. " 

It  does  seem  as  if  some  men  presume  that  Jehovah 
has  no  right  on  board  a  ship  that  the  authorities  are 
bound  to  respect.  "  Such  conduct,"  as  the  writer  says, 
"needs  no  comment."  Notwithstanding  all  these  dis- 
advantages, and  the  strong  current  of  opposition  which 
they  were  required  to  stem,  they  still  mustered  from 
seven  to  ten  faithful  ones  at  their  daily  meetings,  whose 
motto  was,  *' fiiint,  yet  pursuing;"  and  who  sought  en- 
couragement and  Christian  sympathy,  when  feasible, 
away  from  home.  A  brother  wrote  me,  May  5th, 
1861  : 

' '  We  have  had  several  precious  meetings  on  board  the  Mystic, 
in  the  dispensary.     Last  night  we  met  on  board  the  Constella- 
tion.    The  good  Lord,  who  has  promised  to  be   *  in  the  midst ' 
30 


466  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

whan  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  his  name,  was  truly 
present,  and  caused  our  hearts  to  rejoice  in  his  love.  Tiie 
Christians  of  the  Constellation  are  very  happy  in  the  Lord,  and 
enjoy  his  service. " 

They  had  meetings  also  on  board  the  Sumter  and 
the  Relief.  On  each  of  those  vessels  there  were  three 
praying  men.  On:  was  converted  on  board  the  latter, 
on  her  passage  out  from  the  United  States.  The  Sara- 
toga and  San  Jacinto  had  each  representatives  of  Christ 
among  the  crew.  The  former  four,  and  the  latter  five. 
This  may  appear,  to  a  worldling,  to  be  a  small  matter. 
Yet  these  were  the  oases  in  the  moral  waste,  having  with- 
in themselves  wells  of  living  waters,  springing  up  unto 
eternal  life. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  ships  composing  that 
squadron  had  crews,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  two 
thousand  five  Iiundred  souls,  and  that  there  was  not  a 
single  chaplain  among  lliem,  it  will  be  conceded  that  the 
few  Christians  dispers2d  through  them,  these  modern 
**  diaspora,"  were  so  many  evidences  of  the  Divine 
mercy  to  the  entire  fleet.  Had  this  mercy  been  pro- 
perly appreciated,  it  would  have  called  forth  continued 
thanksgiving  and  praise  to  God,  from  every  heart  in  the 
squadron.  On  board  the  Saratoga,  a  meeting  was  or- 
ganized and  conducted  from  October,  i860,  to  January, 
1863,  by  four  devoted  men,  one  of  whom  was  a  member 
of  our  church.  The  paymaster  was  also  a  man  of  God. 
He  read  divine  service  on  the  Sabbath,  when  practicable. 
In  this  service  he  was  sustained  by  the  captain,  Avho  was 
always  present.  After  the  ship  had  been  out  over  a  year, 
the  surgeon  of  the  Mystic  was  transferred  to  her.  He 
took  charge  of  the  evening  services,  and  encouraged  the 


TESTIMONY   TO    THEIR    FAITHFULNESS.  467 

brethren  in   the  good    work.      A  few  only  were  added 
to  their  number. 

Onboard  the  San  Jacinto,  no  regular  meeting  was 
held.  Of  the  three  disciples  in  her  crew,  one  only  was  a 
member  of  our  church.  They  found  that  all  they  could 
do  was  to  keep  alive  the  flame  of  love  in  their  own  hearts. 
One  of  them  wrote  me,  May  4th,  1862  : 

*'  I  have  had  many  trials  and  temptat'on^,  and  as  I  am  but  a 
weak  Christian,  I  beg  the  prayers  of  all  praying  brethren  and 
sisters — that  I  may  bear  the  Cross  manfully  and  hold  out  faith- 
fully unto  the  end,  as  a  good  soldier  of  Christ  Jesus,  and  at  last 
receive  the  crown  which  he  has  promised  to  all  them  that  love 
and  serve  him  !" 

This  prayer  was  fully  answered.  He  was  the  honored 
instrument  of  carrying  the  Saviour's  banner  into  other 
men-of-war,  and  after  a  consistent  service  of  thirteen 
years,  died  in  the  Lord,  while  under  my  spiritual 
care,  at  the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  on  the  30th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1874. 

The  testimony  of  Christian  brethren  in  the  squadron, 
who  knew  whereof  they  affirmed,  was  :  '*  The  brothers 
of  the  San  Jacinto  are  true  to  the  Lord."  They  came 
together  as  opportunity  would  permit,  to  encourage  each 
other  in  the  way,  to  compare  notes,  and  to  worship  God 
in  company.  The  disciples  from  the  Constellation  and 
the  Portsmouth  interchanged  visits  with  these  brethren, 
and  with  those  of  the  Sumter  and  Relief,  as  often  as 
facilities  for  doing  so  were  afforded,  and  held  divine  ser- 
vice with  them.  On  these  occasions,  they  "exhorted  "  and 
stimulated  "  each  other  to  love  and  to  good  works."  As 
in  ages  past,  so  now,  and  here,  along  the  shores  of  this 
death- enshrouded  continent,  "  they  that  feared  the  Lord 


468  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

Spake  often  one  to  another,  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and 
heard  it,"  and  sustained  them  in  the  unequal  strife. 
Doubtless  "  a  book  of  remembrance "  was  for  them 
also  written,  the  pages  of  which  will  be  resplendent 
with  the  names  of  those  who  so  nobly  sustained  the  cause 
of  their  Saviour  amid  the  opposition  of  ungodly  men. 

As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  trace  these  men  of  the 
African  Squadron,  in  their  after  history,  I  have  found 
them,  with  but  one  or  two  exceptions,  true  to  their  cove- 
nant vows.  Two  of  them  rose  from  before  the  mast  to  the 
position  of  commanding  officers  under  the  Government ; 
one  to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  revenue  marine  service ; 
several  to  masters-mates,  ensigns,  and  masters.  What 
the  full  measure  of  their  influence  was,  we  may  never 
know  on  earth.  But  when  the  records  of  that  squadron 
come  to  be  written  for  the  final  account,  we  shall  hear  of 
many  of  whom  it  shall  be  said — as  of  Ethiopia — in  that 
day:   "  This  man  was  born  there."     (Ps.  Ixxxvii.  4.) 


ii  iilil 


'Jill 


i;;i;;iii|i||iilli;ilil!III|i|":iiiiilli;.':iii^^  !i!i:,i  ii»^^^ 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

U.    S.    SHIP    HARTFORD — TRUE    AS    STEEL. 

U.  S.  steam  frigate  Hartford — Physical  form  and  finish — iMoral  beauty — 
Choice  spirits — Daily  worship— Splendid  officers — Captain's  promise— A 
new  shipmate — Thirteen  converted — Chaplain  not  interested — A  rousing 
choir — Touching  scene  — Hong-kong — ^Precious  seasons — Thirty-seven 
active  workers — Ships  in  port  invited — One  hundred  and  twenty-five 
soldiers  converted — Rev.  J,  C.  Beechcr  cheered — Barque  Benefactor — 
Never  seen  in  China  before — Hartfords  true  as  steel — Temporary  reac- 
tion— Backsliders  return — "Jerusalem  crickets" — Drunkards  sober — • 
Shanghae — A  missionary's  testimony — A  beautiful  sight — "  Blest  be  the 
tie  " — Revival  on  board  H.  B,  M.  ship  Acteon — Forty  sailors  convert- 
ed— A  godly  captain — Stand  by  the  Cross — Good  for  both  ends  of  her. 

I  NEVER  shall  forget  the  impression  made  upon  my 
mind,  when,  in  the  summer  of  1859,  I  pulled  round  the 
U.  S.  steamer  Hartford,  as  she  lay  at  anchor  off  the 
Navy  Yard  in  Boston  harbor.  She  was  then  ready  for 
sea.  Everything  was  ''a-taunto."  I  thought  she  was  the 
most  beautiful  vessel  I  had  ever  laid  my  eyes  on.  I 
gazed  upon  her  with  wonder  and  admxiration.  No  sea- 
bird  ever  sat  on  the  water  more  gracefully.  Her  lines 
appeared  to  me  to  be  perfection  itself  The  mar- 
vellous symmetry  of  her  form,  the  delicate  tracery 
of  her  rigging,  her  taunt,  loft}',  well-stayed  spars, 
her  faultless  proportions,  her  exquisite  trirn,  in  short 
her  *'  tout  ensemble  "  as  a  perfect  mxodel  of  naval  archi- 
tecture,   is    as    vividly    present    to  my   mind   to-day  as 

469 


470  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

it  was  then.     Truly  "a  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  forever." 
But  the  beauty  I  then  admired  was  merely  the  perfec- 
tion of  human  ingenuity  and  handiwork.     A  still  more 
delightful   impression,  however,  than   that  produced  by 
her  external  form  and  finish,  now  lingers  in  the  chambers 
of  memory.     It  is  the  sense  of  moral  beauty — evoked  by 
the  reading  of  the  records  of  the  work  of  grace  wrought 
upon  her  crew  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  the   agency 
of  men  once  unskilled  in  gospel  themes,  and  unattracted 
by  spritual  beauty  and  loveliness ;  men  whose  lives   that 
same  Divine  Spirit  had  made  radiant  of  truth  by  his  own 
indwelling.     The  hands  that  penned  some  of  those  pre- 
cious communications  are  now   cold   in   death.     But  the 
evidences  of  God's  mercy  to  the  men  of  the  sea,  through 
them,  in  the  far-off  nations  they  visited,  and  the  influence 
wielded  by  those  rude  and  unlettered,  but  serious,  honest, 
and  self-denying  sailors,  whom   God  had  chosen  to  be 
witnesses  for  his  Son,  and  to  live  lives  of  purity  in    the 
midst  of  abounding  ungodliness,  will  never  die.     At  the 
time  to  which  I  have  referred,  the  ship  had  just  been  put 
in  commission.     She  had  a  banner  crew,  and  as   noble  a 
set  of  officers  as  men  ever  sailed   with.     Among  them, 
some  choice  Christian  spirits,  who  set  examples  of  godli- 
ness to  the  ship's  company,  while  they  fully  maintained 
their  own  "esprit  de  corps."     Enrolled  among  the  crew 
were  between  thirty  and   forty  disciples  of  Christ,  who 
had  been  converted  on  board  the  receiving-ship,  during 
the   previous  winter   and  spring.       With   seventeen    of 
these,  I   kept  up  a  running  correspondence  during  her 
absence  of  over  thirty-one  months   in  the  East — a  cor- 
respondence which  was  as  refreshing  to  me,  and  as  use- 
ful to  my  church  and  congregation,  as  it  was  copious  and 


A   NEW    SHIPMATE.  4/1 

instructive.     It  is  from  their  letters  that  this  narrative  is 
drawn. 

A  few  weeks  before  she  left  Boston,  one  of  her  seamen, 
who  was  destined  to  become  prominent  among  her  crew 
for  his  faithfulness  to  Christ,  and  to  the  souls  of  his  fel- 
lows-men, wrote  me  as  follows  : 

"  My  dear  Frieitd — Through  your  kind  instructions  I  have 
found  that  hope,  which  makes  a  dying  hour  an  hour  of  joy,  and 
that  treasure  which  makes  one  rich  and  comfortable  and  happy 
through  this  life,  as  well  as  in  eternity.  Yes,  through  you, 
my  dear  pastor,  I  have  been  brought  from  darkness  into  God's 
ow^n  marvellous  light.  I  am  now  rejoicing  that  I  have  found 
the  dear  Saviour,  who  has  cleansed  me  from  all  sin.  Through 
your  sermon  of  last  Sabbath,  I  was  brought  to  see  myself,  as  I 
had  never  done  before.  Glory  be  to  God,  and  a  thousand 
thanks  to  you  !  I  am  now  walking  in  the  path  of  righteousness 
which  you  pointed  out  to  me.  I  now  love  what  I  once  hated, 
and  hate  that  which  I  once  loved.  I  love  to  read  my  Bible, 
and  above  all  I  find  relief  in  praying  to  Jesus  Christ.  I  am  now 
striving  to  prove  myself  a  faithful  soldier  of  the  cross.  Thanks 
be  to  God  that  he  has  sent  his  only  begotten  Son  into  the  world 
to  save  sinners,  and  that  in  his  tender  mercy  he  has  sought  out 
me,  a  poor  miserable  sinner,  and  has  rescued  me  from  destruc- 
tion. You  have  been  the  means  of  uniting  me  to  my  Saviour, 
and  I  promise  you  that  I  will  try,  with  all  my  strength,  to  be 
useful  in  his  cause.     I  hope  he  will  strengthen  me  in  my  purpose. " 

The  promise  of  this  good  and  simple-hearted  brother, 
was  well  redeemed.  His  course  on  board  the  Hartford, 
was  like  '*  the  path  of  the  just."  It  shone  "  brighter  and 
brighter."  The  breath  of  slander  and  calumny  did  not 
sully  his  fair  name.  His  influence,  resulting  from  his 
devotion  to  his  Master's  work,  and  his  practical  love  of 
souls,  was  such,  that  many  a  sailor,  I  doubt  not,  will,  in 


4/2  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

the  far-off  future,  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed.  His  life 
was  an  illustration  of  the  fact,  that  under  God,  the  weak 
confound  the  mighty ;  *'  and  things  that  are  not,"  are 
used  to  bring  to  nought  "the  things  that  are;"  that 
no  flesh  may  glory  in  the  divine  presence.  This  man 
was  a  member  of  our  church,  and  a  most  faithful  cor- 
respondent. He  was  true  to  the  heart's  core ;  like 
Abdiel, 

"Faithful  found  among  the  faithless." 

I  cannot  add,  "  faithful  only  he,"  for  there  were  many 
faithful  with  him,  who,  as  the  record  will  show,  main- 
tained their  integrity  through  evil  report  and  through 
good  report,  as  long  as  they  were  together.  As  soon  as 
the  ship's  company  were  transferred  to  their  own  vessel, 
they  initiated  daily  services,  which  were  continued  morn- 
ing and  evening,  with  occasional  exceptions  only,  until 
the  end  of  the  cruise.  One  of  the  first  letters  which  came 
to  me,  dated  June  i/th,  1859,  said: 

''We  held  our  first  meeting  last  night.  The  first  lieutenant 
took  the  lead.  He  seems  to  be  a  religious  man.  I  believe,  if 
we  were  to  search  the  American  Navy  through,  we  could  not 
find  a  better  set  of  officers.  There  are  two  '  sweat  boxes ' 
aboard.  One  of  them  is  destined  to  become  the  library  case, 
and  the  mo3t  of  the  men  have  subscribed  a  dollar  apiece  toward 
the  purchase  of  a  good  library  to  put  in  it.  So  you  see  the  boys 
appreciate  the  kindness  of  the  officers. " 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1859,  another  wrote: 

"The  ship  leaves  Boston  to-morrow.  I  have  one  going  with 
me,  this  cruise,  with  whom  I  never  sailed  before.  I  hope  to 
have  Him  always  with  me.  He  has  said,  Lo  !  I  am  with  you 
always. ' " 


CAPTAIN'S    PROMISE.'  473 

Still  another — on  the  same  day  : 

''  A  few  of  us  in  our  watch  on  deck  at  night  gather  under  the 
launch  and  pour  out  our  hearts  to  GoJ.  We  have  splendid 
officers,  and  to  all  appearances  we  are  going  to  have  a  good  ship. 
Not  a  man  yet,  has  been  called  '  to  the  mast. '  The  officers 
seem  to  be  astonished  at  the  good  conduct  of  the  men,  and  they 
are  giving  us  good  treatment  The  captain  says,  he  begins  the 
cruise  as  he  means  to  end  it  ;  and  that,  if  W3  behave  ourselves 
as  we  are  now  doing,  he  will  do  all  in  his  power  to  make  us 
comfortable  and  give  us  all  the  privileges  he  can." 

This  letter  contains  the  statement  that  there  were  among 
the  crew  twenty-seven  professors  of  religion  :  thirteen 
members  of  our  church,  six  Baptist,  two  connected 
with  other  denominations,  and  six  who  have  no 
church  connection.  He  adds :  **  We  have  had  our 
meetings  four  or  five  times  in  the  *  fore  passage.'  We  are 
doing  the  best  we  can,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
God  is  with  us,  and  is  leading  us,  as  a  tender  Shepherd, 
**  beside  the  still  waters." 

On  the  28th  they  sailed  for  Madeira.  From  there  I 
received  a  letter  dated  July  5th,  stating: 

*'  We  have  our  meetings  for  prayer  twice  a  day,  every  morning 
and  evening,  and  a  sermon  from  the  chaplain  on  Sunday.  Never 
in  my  life  did  I  see  such  attention  to  religion  among  sailors.  It 
would  do  your  heart  good  to  look  upon  three  hundred  seamen,  all 
attending,  I  am  happy  to  say,  with  the  commodore  at  their  head. 
Your  letter  telling  me  to  live  close  to  God  in  prayer,  I  received 
just  before  we  left.  I  thank  you  for  your  interest  in  us.  Prayer 
is  my  greatest  enjoyment.  J.  N." 

From  the  Mauritius,  September  22nd,  a  Swede  wrote 
me : 


474  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

''Dear  Pastor — You  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  work  of  the 
Lord  is  prospering  with  us.  Our  meetings  are  held  every  even- 
ing, continuing  sometimes  two  hours,  from  four  to  eight  bells. 
The  Lord  is  doing  a  great  work  among  us.  In  the  whole  course 
of  my  life  I  never  saw  anything  like  it.  I  never  knew  what 
pleasure  was,  until  I  found  the  Lord,  who  brought  me  out  of 
darkness  into  light.  I  am  truly  happy  in  the  service  of  God, 
and  hope  I  may  never  even  look  back.  I  thank  you  for  your 
kind  instruction.  1  can  only  pray  for  you,  that  God  will  pay 
you  in  the  great  day  of  account.  J.  W." 

Another  brother  states : 

* '  The  port  watch  meet  one  evening,  and  the  starboard  watch 
the  next.  The  fore-passage  is  rather  small  for  us  all,  but  it  is 
large  enough  to  crowd  in  both  watches,  when  ship's  duty  will 
allow  both  to  meet  together.  We  are  careful  never  to  interfere 
with  the  discipline  of  the  ship.  Our  hearts  are  sorrowful,  if  any- 
thing interferes  with  our  gathering.  It  is  the  place  where  we  find 
comfort  and  pleasure.  I  often  see  men  weeping  over  their  sins. 
A  good  work  is  going  on.  The  carpenter,  who  is  a  man  of  God, 
has  taken  the  lead  of  our  meetings.  He  is  striving,  with  the  help 
of  God,  to  point  sinners  to  '  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world,'  Thirteen  souls  have  been  added  to  our 
number.  Five  more  are  serving  God  in  secret,  and  a  great  many 
others  are  seriously  troubled  about  their  salvation.  We  are 
praying  that  God  will  open  the  eyes  of  many  more.  Some  even- 
ings lately,  reminded  me  of  the  27th  of  April  on  board  the  'Old 
North,'  the  day  you  bid  us  farewell.  That  scene  is  graven  in  my 
heart.  I  can  never  forget  how  you  stood  weeping,  and  imploring 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  us  all.  Our  officers  as  well  as  the  men, 
even  to  the  commodore,  show  their  reverence  for  divine  worship 
by  their  presence  at  our  meetings.  The  captain  says  he  never 
experienced  anything  like  it.  The  men  on  the  Sabbath,  are  seen 
sitting  about  the  d^cks,  reading  the  Bible  or  Testament,  or  other 
good  books.     Our  worship  is  never  disturbed.     I  am  sorry  to  say 


CHAPLAIN    NOT    INTERESTED.  475 

that  our  chaplain  takes  very  little  interest  in  our  spiritual  welfare. 
He  has  a  prayer  every  morning,  and  a  sermon  every  Sunday  ; 
but  he  never  comes  down  to  our  meeting,  not  even  to  our  Sun- 
day afternoon  prayer-meeting.  You  may  judge,  by  this,  how 
much  he  interests  himself  in  us.  The  carpenter,  however,  is  a 
faithful  leader. 

"  Dear  pastor,  if  you  had  been  with  us  yesterday,  you  would 
have  been  glad.  At  divine  service,  by  the  captain's  orders,  the 
brethren  all  sat  together,  and  formed  a  choir.  The  ship  rang 
with  songs  of  redeeming  grace,  and  praise  to  the  Lamb.  We 
arose  one  after  another,  in  the  presence  of  our  officers  and  ship- 
mates, and  testified  to  what  Christ  had  done  for  us,  and  what  he 
is  willing  to  do  for  them,  if  they  would  only  forsake  their  evil 
ways  and  thoughts,  and  come  to  Him.  Five  of  our  officers  were 
weeping,  and  many  of  the  men  covered  their  faces  with  their  caps 
to  hide  their  tears.  The  commodore  was  heard  to  say  that  he 
never  witnessed  such  a  touching  scene  in  his  life.  It  was  a 
novel  sight  to  see  sailors  in  tears,  imploring  their  shipmates  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come.  Pray  for  us,  that  the  whole  lump 
may  be  leavened. '' 

One  hundred  and  thirty-six  days  after  leaving  Boston, 
she  arrived  at  Hong-Kong,  via  Mauritius  and  Singapore, 
without  death  or  accident  of  any  kind. 

"  But,  best  of  all,"  says  my  correspondent,  on  the  13th  of  No- 
vember, 1859,  "  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  passing  by. '   He  is  teaching 

us  and    blessing  us.      Mr.   B and  the  sailmaker's  mate  have 

?,become  active  workers  in  the  vineyard,  and  are  anxious  to  have  the 
whole  ship's  company  with  them.  There  are  thirty-seven  of  us  now, 
in  all,  and  I  believe  we  are  all  taking  an  active  part  in  the  work. 
Every  night  men  are  found  weeping  over  their  sins.  We  have 
every  privilege  we  can  wish.  There  is  no  disturbance  by  the 
crew,  and  the  captain  tells  us  that  if  the  '  fore  passage '  becomes 
too  small,  he  will  find  us  a  larger  place.  Our  officers  are 
anxious  to  see  the  word  of  the  Lord,    '  have  free  course  and  be 


476  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

glorified. '  They  do  not  labor  personally  with  us.  But  we  can- 
not expect  them  to  do  so  when  the  chaplain,  whose  duty  it  i'*, 
will  not  lend  us  a  helping  hand." 

Later,  the  same  brother  mourns  over  the  defection  of 
some  six  or  seven,  who,  while  on  liberty,  were  tempted 
by  the  bottle.  Some  of  these,  however,  returned,  peni- 
tent, and  were  subsequently  restored.  In  May,  i860, 
they  write  again  : 

' '  We  have  had  some  precious  seasons  since  we  wrote  you  last. 
There  have  been  remarkable  meetings  on  board  this  ship,  that  I 
hope  will  never  be  forgotten.  We  have  often  seen  a  man-of-war's 
quarter-deck  decorated  for  a  ball,  but  never  before,  for  the  public 
worship  of  God.  Invitations  had  been  sent  out  to  the  different 
ships  in  port,  to  attend  divine  service  on  board  the  Hartford. 
Captains,  officers  and  men,  from  the  merchant  vessels,  came  on 
board.  The  captain  gave  us  the  privilege  of  manning  a  boat,  and 
going  on  board  other  vessels,  to  invite  men  to  the  Marriage 
Supper  of  the  Lamb.  We  have  sowed  the  good  seed,  and  look  to 
God  for  his  blessing.  The  influence  of  these  meetings  cannot  be 
measured.  Some  ships  that  came  into  port  with  no  religious 
persons  aboard,  have  gone  to  sea,  some  with  two,  some  with 
three,  and  one  with  five  souls  converted.  A  Baptist  missionary — 
an  old  man — says,  we  have  'taught  him  a  lesson  he  will  not 
forget.  The  resurrection  of  dead  souls  is  like  that  of  Lazarus, 
whom  Christ  called  from  his  grave. '  His  litde  Chinese  church  is 
all  stirred  up.  It  is  something  new  for  them  to  see  Christian 
sailors  flocking  to  their  services.  The  influence  of  this  ship  is  not 
confined  to  the  American  vessels,  but  extends  to  the  British  as  well ; 
sailors  and  soldiers  are  moved  by  it.  We  attend  a  prayer-meeting 
every  evening  at  Mr.  Beecher's  church.  God  is  blessing  faithful 
labor,  and  many  are  being  added  to  the  ranks  of  the  disciples,  of 
such,  we  trust,  as  shall  be  saved.  A  sergeant  of  the  first  Royals, 
a  British  regiment,  lately  returned  from  the  Pei-Ho,  had  been 
greatly    blessed  at  Canton,   where  a  non-commissioned    ofiicer 


REV.    J.    C.    BEECHER    CHEERED.  4/7 

Started  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  camp,  and  though  enduring 
obloquy  and  contempt  on  account  of  his  zeal,  he  held  on,  and 
after  five  months,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  his  comrades 
were  converted.  Rev.  Mr.  Beecher  says,  he  '  has  been  praying 
for  this  condition  of  things  for  the  last  four  years.'  But  now  his 
eyes  see  the  blessing  of  the  Lord. " 

By  way  of  corroborating  the  above,  and  looking  at  the 
work  from  the  standpoint  of  the  missionaries,  I  will  here 
insert  a  letter  written  to  me  by  Rev^  J.  C.  Beecher,  at 
that  time  chaplain  to  seamen  at  Hong-Kong,  and  dated 
May  2nd,  i860: 

'■'■Dear  Brother — I  am  pressed  for  time  wherein  to  answer 
your  kind  letter,  received  per  Benefactor,  yet  cannot  put  ofi"  com- 
municating that  which  I  know  will  fill  your  soul  with  joy.  The 
Benefactor  brought  me  g:">ad,  sturdy  helpers,  and  the  end  is  not 
yet.  I  was  absent  at  Wampoa  when  Captain  Corning  arrived, 
having  gone  thither  to  see  about  re-building  the  Bethel  destroy- 
ed by  the  Chinese  three  years  ago.  On  my  return,  after  three 
days,  I  found  that  there  were  evidences  of  a  reviving  among 
us,  no  where  more  needed  than  in  my  own  tired  soul.  We 
found  strong  helpers  in  your  friends  on  board  the  Hartford. 
They  took  hold  manfully  with  us.  The  interest  increased. 
Captain  Corning  and  his  excellent  chief-ofiicer  were  instant  in 
labor  and  prayer.  Three  or  four  English  captains,  praying  men, 
came  into  the  harbor,  and,  for  once,  I  felt  that  1  was  not  alone. 
Truly  the  last  three  weeks  have  been  bright  and  joyous.  I 
think  that  fourteen  staunch  sailors  have  come  out  upon  the 
Lord's  side,  and  the  interest  still  continues.  Such  a  state  of 
things  has  never  been  known  in  China  before.  I  am  not  idle  ; 
I  have  prayed  for  this,  through  storm  and  sunshine,  for  four 
years,  and  just  as  my  faith  had  begun  to  flag,  the  blessing  came. 
I  tell  you,  dear  brother,  when  we  get  ships  that  are  prayer-laden^ 
traversing  the  seas,  we  may  begin  to  look  out  for  revivals.  One 
ship  thus  furnished,   sails  to-morrow  for  San   Francisco.     Two 


47^  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

praying  men,  '  the  first-fruits '  of  our  harvest,  go  in  her ;  and 
another,  I  trust,  will  be  added  to  them.  I  have  just  been  on 
board  to  break  the  ice  for  them.  God  grant  that  the  little  leaven, 
may  leaven  the  whole  lump. 

"  Your  Hartford  friends  witnessed  a  good  profession  at  the 
meeting  on  Wednesday  evening,  on  board  the  Benefactor,  and 
the  Sabbath  and  Thursday  evening  meetings  at  my  chapel.  They 
are  true  as  steel,  and  believe  me,  they  speak  nobly  for  Christ. 
They  are  a  blessing  to  their  ship,  and  a  blessing  to  the  harbor. 
Next  week  there  will  be  a  sad  scattering,  and  God  only  knoweth 
whether  there  will  be  found  any  helpers  in  my  work.  Yet  even 
if  all  alone,  I  shall  work  away  with  revived  hope  and  new  energy. 
It  is  a  tr}ing  field  ;  everything  is  shifting,  shifting  condnually. 
Pray  for  us,  that  change  may  bring  as  well  as  take  away  helping 
hands." 

In  August,  the  brethren  wrote  me,  sending  joyful  tid- 
ings. The  men  who  had  temporarily  strayed  away, 
allured  by  temptation,  came  back  to  the  fold,  sorrowing 
after  a  godly  sort ;  relating  their  bitter  experience,  and 
telling  of  the  anguish  which  they  had  endured  in  their 
absence  from  Christ,  and  from  their  brethren  in  the 
Lord  ;  and  promising  increased  watchfulness  and  faithful- 
ness in  the  future. 

In  December,  they  were  still  pressing  toward  the  goal 
for  the  prize,  scattering  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  as  they 
moved  up  and  down  the  coast  among  the  heathen. 
Their  letters  express  much  gratitude  for  correspondence, 
books  and  other  reading  matter,  which  I  had  sent  them. 
These,  they  felt,  were  so  many  evidences  that  they  were 
not  forgotten,  and  so  many  links  binding  them  to  the 
church  and  brotherhood  at  home. 

The  opening  of  the  year  1861  brought  with  it  a  tem- 
porary reaction.     A  few  of  the  weaker  ones,  who  had 


**  JERUSALEM    CRICKETS."  479 

been  ashore  on  liberty,  had  yielded  to  the  tempter,  there- 
by bringing  reproach  upon  the  cause,  and  interfering 
somewhat  with  the  privilege  which  had  been  accorded  to 
the  crew,  of  visiting  the  Bethel,  or  attending  service  on 
board  other  vessels.  It  also  thinned  the  attendance  on 
their  evening  meetings  at  home.  The  "  Jerusalem  crick- 
ets," as  the  ungodly  called  them  by  way  of  reproach, 
were  therefore,  for  a  season  under  a  cloud.  It  was  only 
for  a  short  time,  however  ;  as  in  February  they  report  a 
renewing  of  the  interest,  and  men  still  coming  to  Christ. 
In  March  an  occasional  correspondent,  a  sort  of  '*  looker- 
on  in  Venice,"  who  hovered  around  the  confines  of  the 
Christian  territory,  instead  of  nestling  down  among  the 
believers,  wrote  me  from  his  own  point  of  view,  saying: 

' '  The  most  profligate  men  and  the  greatest  drunkards  in  the 
ship,  are  becoming  sober,  steady,  and  orderly  men  ; — do  not 
break  their  liberty,  nor  fight,  nor  do  anything  that  is  discredit- 
able to  themselves  or  to  the  country  they  serve.  There  are  some, 
now,  who  have  been  habitual  drunkards  for  years,  who  have  given 
up  drinking  entirely  ;  not  because  it  was  an  injury  to  their  consti- 
tutions and  degraded  them,  but,  first,  from  the  force  of  example— 
and  then  from  conviction  that  it  was  of  no  benefit  to  them.  Out 
of  three  hundred  who  went  ashore  on  liberty  last  week,  only  two 
were  brought  aboard  intoxicated.  Now,  my  friend,  do  you  not 
think  that  this  is  a  great  change  for  the  better — and  a  great  bless- 
ing to  our  craft }  The  people  ashore  say  that  we  are  the  best 
behaved  set  of  men  that  have  ever  been  out  on  this  coast.  All 
praise  to  God  for  it  !" 

The  conclusion  of  the  writer  is  :  "There  is  no  place 
under  the  arch  of  heaven  where  a  man  benefits  himself 
so  much  for  both  worlds,  as  in  a  vessel  where  honesty 
and  sobriety  are  well  thought  of"  I  may  add,  further, 
at  this  point,  an  outside  testimony,   from  a  young   sea- 


480  FIFTY    YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

officer  at  Shanghae,  where  the  Hartford  was  laying  in 
the  spring  of  1861.  He  had  been  converted  and  was 
laboring  at  his  own  charges,  as  a  missionary  among 
sailors.      He  wrote,  in  May  : 

"  We  have  had  die  Hartford  here,  and  her  litde  church  standi 
firm.  I  never  met  with  men  whom  I  loved  so  much.  One  of 
the  brethren  of  H.  B.  M.  ship  Acteon,  also,  often  visits  us.  You 
have  heard  probably  of  the  good  work  going  on,  on  board  of  her. 
I  have  also  met  with  some  Christian  men  on  board  of  merchant 
vessels,  but  they  are  few.  The  Bethel  here  is  well  attended,  both 
from  ship  and  shore.  J.  T, " 

In  June,  1 861,  my  correspondent,  after  the  usual  as- 
surance that  the  meetings  were  carried  on  with  the  ac- 
customed regularity,  and  were  doing  well,  expresses  his 
sorrow  at  the  smallness  of  the  Christian  band,  as  com- 
pared with  the  number  of  the  entire  crew.     Saying  : 

*' We  have  been  prayerfully  sowing  the  good  seed,  for  the  last 
two  years ;  yet  how  few  and  easily  counted  are  we  who  are  walking 
in  the  narrow  way,  while  so  many  are  travelling  the  broad  way. 
Nevertheless  we  are  thankful  to  God  that  he  has  a  few  representa- 
tives here,  and  that  he  keeps  us  together  and  comforts  and  blesses 
us  with  his  love.  We  know  that  whenever  we  meet,  '  He  is  in 
the  midst.'  " 

He  adds  :  ' '  We  have  been  ashore  to  the  Bechel  prayer-meeting. 
It  is  a  precious  privilege.  We  were  delighted  to  see  the  Bridsh 
soldiers,  officers  and  men,  crowding  into  the  house  of  God.  It 
was  a  beautiful  sight !  A  large  number  of  them  are  Christians. 
They  had  heard  of  the  Hartford's,  and  when  they  met  us,  they 
gave  us  a  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand,  and  made  every  effort  to 
encourage  us,  and  to  accommodate  us  while  we  were  ashore. 
Well  may  we  sing : 


"BLEST    BE    THE    TIE."  48! 

*  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love, 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above.' 

"The  English  sloop-of-war  Acteon  is  here.  There  is  quite  a 
revival  on  board  of  her.  About  forty  of  her  crew  are  convertevl 
men.  When  we  met  with  them,  and  worshipped  together,  it 
reminded  us  of  that  memorable  farewell  meeting  on  board  th3 
North  Carolina,  when  we  parted  from  you,  and  your  church 
members.  Many  hearts  were  melted  down,  tears  of  joy  were 
shed  ;  prayers,  heart  prayers,  went  up  that  night,  such  as  Paul 
says,  'cannot  be  uttered,'  except  in  groans  and  sighs  and  tears. 

"These  Acteons  are  taking  hold  of  God's  cause  manfully, 
despising  the  shame  ;  they  stand  by  the  cross,  accepting  reproach 
for  Christ's  sake.  They  have  no  fear  of  man  before  their  eyes  ; 
they  fear  God  only.  Their  captain  is  a  noble  Christian  man  ;  he 
leads  them  and  defends  them.  He  will  allow  no  man  to  inter- 
fere with  his  believing  men  or  disturb  them  in  their  worship.  In 
Christ  he  is  their  brother.  He  calls  them  into  his  cabin  in  the 
evening,  and  takes  active  part  with  them  in  the  service  of  God. 
He  is  proud  of  the  behavior  of  his  whole  crew  ;  he  says  he  can 
trust  them  to  go  ashore  anyw^here,  because  instead  of  going  to 
the  grog-shop  or  to  houses  of  ill-repute,  he  finds  them  among 
the  missionaries." 

How  different  the  condition  of  things  everywhere  when 
a  good  example  is  set  by  the  officers.  The  old  proverb, 
"  Like  priest,  like  people,"  may  be  given  a  nautical  appli- 
cation and  form,  because,  ''Like  captain,  like  crew,"  is 
equally  true,  and  as  a  proverb  will  wear  as  long.  The  law 
of  kindness  never  fails  to  work  out  its  own  ends,  Chris- 
tian sympathy  is  as  potent  to-day,  as  when  Christ  walked 
the  waters  of  Galilee  to  save  his  affrighted  disciples,  The 
power  of  love  is  as  efficacious  in  the  cabin  of  a  merchant^ 
31 


482  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

man  or  on  the  quarter-deck  of  a  man-of-war  at  sea,  as 
ever  it  was,  in  hut,  or  palace,  or  pulpit  ashore.  There  is 
an  impression  abroad,  that  while  it  is  possible  for  a  sailor 
to  carry  Christ  with  him  into  the  forecastle,  it  is  utterly 
impracticable  for  the  cabin  to  attempt  to  govern  a  crew 
on  Christian  principles,  on  boaid  a  ship  at  sea.  It  ought 
to  be  stated,  however,  that  this  is  not  the  testimony  of 
pious  ship  captains,  who  have  given  the  matter  a  fair 
trial.  There  are  hundreds  of  Christians  who  would  give 
an  unqualified  denial  to  any  such  statement,  if  made  in 
their  hearing. 

One  who  loves  God  and  his  fellow- men,  and  who  has 
learned  the  all-important  lesson  of  self-control,  will,  other 
things  being  equal, find  but  little  difficulty  in  governing  his 
crew.  Seamen  know  when  they  are  well  treated  as  well 
as  other  men,  and  can  usually  stand  as  much  kindness  as 
an  officer  is  disposed  to  give.  I  have  heard  many  praise 
the  good  discipline  and  good  usage  of  ships  in  which  they 
have  sailed  under  religious  ship  masters.  The  testimvjny 
of  one  of  these,  **  I'll  tell  as  'twas  told  to  me :" 

' '  I  made  several  voyages  with  Capt.  M out  of  New  York, 

before  the  mast  and  abaft  it.  He  conducted  divine  ser\-ice,  wind 
and  weather  permitting,  at  sea,  and  in  port,  ev'cry  Sabbath,  and 
prayer- meetings  every  Thursday  evening.  He  always  read  the 
Sacred  Scriptures,  and  explained  them  to  us.  He  was  blessed  in 
this  work  too,  in  the  salvation  of  souls.  From  two  to  three,  to 
ten  or  twelve  were  converted  every  voyagfe.  He  had  his  wife  and 
two  children  with  him.  He  gave  us  watch  and  watch,  good 
usage,  good  grub  and  plenty  of  it.  He  did  no  work  on  the 
Sabbath  except  to  reduce  or  trim  sails.  The  decks  were  washed 
and  the  house  on  deck  cleansed  on  Saturday  afternoons.  The 
men,  when  they  shipped,  were  informed  that  there  could  be 
no  swearing,  quarreling,  nor  fighting  allowed,  as  they  were  in  a 


A    GODLY    CAPTAIN.  483 

Christian  ship.  As  a  result  of  that  kind  of  treatment,  the  men 
were  contented,  and  worked  wiUingly.  They  jumped,  the 
moment  they  were  called,  night  or  day.  It  was  not  at  all  an 
unfrequent  thing  for  men  to  make  two  or  three  voyages  with  him 
in  succession.  I  myself  was  so  pleased  and  contented  that  I 
sailed  with  him  for  ten  years. " 

It  would  not  be  difficult  to  multiply  such  testimony, 
if  necessary.  I  have  known  many  captains  of  whom  the 
same  may  be  said,  simply  because  they  governed  them- 
selves on  the  same  principles  as  they  governed  their  men. 
Other  illustrations  of  this  subject  will  be  found  in  these 
pages  in  the  testimonies  of  seamen  who  have  been  ben- 
efited by  Christian  treatment  and  allured  by  a  life  of 
love.  Notably  is  this  true  with  regard  to  the  condition 
of  things  on  board  H.  B.  M.  ship  Acteon,  and  the  Pow- 
hatan, Congress,  Constellation,  Hartford,  Niagara  and 
Wabash,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy.  It  is  true  also  of  the  mer- 
chant service.  Such  devoted  Christian  workers  as  Cap- 
tains Bartlett,  Brewer,  Corning,  Elliott,  Gelston,  Hawks, 
Holmes,  Leisgang,  Proal,  Whitton  and  a  host  of  others, 
out  of  New  York,  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  never 
needed  to  wait  for  men,  where  their  Christian  kindness 
and  virtues  were  known.  The  very  name  of  the  vessels 
they  commanded  have  become  household  words  in  the 
^families  of  seamen  who  experienced  their  benevolent 
control.     Religion  is  good  at  both  ends  of  the  ship. 

To  return  to  the  Hartford.  It  is  only  necessary  to  say, 
in  conclusion,  concerning  the  blessed  work  carried  for- 
ward by  her  devout  men,  that  the  last  communication 
to  me  from  her,  while  in  the  Chinese  waters,  was  dated 
July  23rd,  1 86 1,  and  stated  : 

"We  are,  I  trust,   all  striving  to  walk  humbly  before  God, 


484  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

acknowledging  our  weakness  and  our  short  comings,  but  still 
trusting  in  his  abounding  mercy.  Of  a  truth  we  can  say,  'He 
has  never  forsaken  us.'  but  out  of  every  trouble  he  has  delivered 
us  and  brought  us  off  in  triumph,  even  in  the  face  of  the  foe. 
Our  meetings  are  still  continued  every  evening. '"' 

Five  months  later  these  dear  brethren  were  separated 
by  the  paying  off  of  the  ship  in  Philadelphia,  in  Decem- 
ber. Having  witnessed  a  good  profession  by  holding 
forth  the  word  of  life  during  her  whole  cruise,  and  having 
left  substantial  evidence  of  their  faithfulness  on  the  Pagan 
coasts  of  the  so-called  ''  Celestials,"  they  were  distributed 
to  other  ships  and  other  countries,  under  the  guidance 
of  their  great  Leader,  who  has  commanded,  *'  Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

U.  S.  GOLD  LACE  AND  BLUE  FLANNEL. 

A  Gospel  ship— Captain  William  L.  Hudson — A  man  of  God — Submarine 
cable — Laid  in  the  spii-it  of  prayer — Preach  on  board — Fishers  of  men — 
Conversions— I  do  love  him— Zealous  chaplain — ^Japanese  ambassadors 
— Scenes  unprecedented— Officers  and  men  converted — Kanagawa  — 
Visit  to  missionaries — Prayer  and  praise — Hong-kong — Visit  Mr.  Beech- 
er's  prayer-meeting — Scenes  in  Cape  Town— Chaplain's  account  of  re- 
vival—Gold lace  and  blvie  flannel— A  check  experienced— On  the  block- 
ade—Conversions still  occurring — Model  ship — Commodore  McKean — 
His  promotion — Devotion  of  his  men — Admiral  asking  prayers  of  his 
men — Influence  of  Mariners'  church — Nucleus  of  a  church — Overruling 
providence — Place  of  meeting — Its  advantages — Remarkable  results — 
Seventy  converts — Fifteen  officers — ^Joy  in  the  presence  of  the  Angels. 

Of  all  the  vessels  of  the  United  States  Navy  with 
which  I  was  in  correspondence,  the  steam  frigate 
Niagara,  from  whatever  point  of  view  she  is  contemplat- 
ed, stands  forth  easily  pre-eminent  She  might  well  be 
termed  a  Gospel- ship.  Her  history,  from  the  time  her 
keel  was  laid,  will  justify  the  designation.  While  in  the 
process  of  construction,  she  was  under  the  supervision 
of  Captain  William  L.  Hudson,  the  commandant  of  the 
Brooklyn  Navy  Yard.  He  was  also  her  first  comman- 
der. Being  a  man  of  prayer,  of  strong  faith,  scrupu- 
lously honest  in  his  convictions,  careful  to  maintain  the 
sacredness  of  the  Sabbath,  and  to  Hve  in  such  a  manner 
as   to   commend   the    reUgion  of  Jesus    Christ   to    his 

485 


486  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

officers  and  crew,  and  being,  withal,  as  chivalrous  in  duty 
as  he  was  capable  and  experienced,  he  was,  of  all  the 
naval  officers  of  his  day,  especially  fitted  for  the  delicate, 
important  and  difficult  task  assigned  him,  by  the  United 
States  government,  when  ordered  to  proceed  to  England 
and  take  part  in  the  laying*  of  the  first  Atlantic  sub- 
marine telegraph  cable  in  the  world. 

It  was  meet  that  an  enterprise  of  such  world-wide  im- 
portance should  be  committed  to  none  other  than  a  man 
of  God — one  who,  having  accomplished  the  marvellous 
achievement,  should  ascribe  the  glory  to  Jehovah  alone. 
That  wonderful  work  we  know  was  begun,  if  it  was 
not  originally  conceived,  in  a  spirit  of  prayer  and  hum- 
ble dependence  upon  God,  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean. 
Before  the  departure  of  the  fleet  from  London,  special 
prayer  was  offered  for  its  success.  Prayer  preceded  the 
sailing  of  the  Expedition  from  Valentia  Bay.  Daily 
prayer  went  up  to  heaven  from  both  ship  and  shore  dur- 
ing the  eight  days  of  the  paying  out  of  the  cable.  Prayer 
and  praise  crowned  the  issue  at  its  landing  in  Trinity 
Bay  —  Captain  Hudson  leading  his  crew  up  to  the 
throne  of  grace  in  thanksgiving  for  the  successful  termi- 
nation of  the  work.  In  announcing  the  accomplished 
fact,  the  captain  sent  the  following  telegram  to  his  fam- 
ily: 

*'  Trinity  Ba\\   August  5th,  18 s^. 
"  God  has  been  with  us.     The  telegraph  cable  is  laid  without 
accident,  and  to  Him  be  all  the  glory.         Wm.  L.  Hudson." 

Before  the  Niagara  sailed  on  this  expedition,  I  visited 
her  several  times,  and  had  religious  conversation  with 
many  of  the  crew.  On  the  26th  of  February,  1858,  I 
had  an  interview  with  Captain  Hudson,  and  at  his  sug- 


FISHERS   OF   MEN.  487 

gestion  supplied  the  men  with  one  hundred  copies  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer.  I  also  placed  on  board  two 
hundred  copies  of  the  "Sea  Bird,"  and  thirty-two  volumes 
of  religious  reading  matter  for  their  use. 

On  the  28th,  I  preached  to  the  ship's  company  from 
Matthew  iv.  12-22 — the  Saviour's  command  to  the 
fishermen  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  :  **  Follow  me,  and  I 
will  make  you  fishers  of  men."  The  audience  were 
deeply  interested.  Many  were  moved  to  tears  ;  some  be- 
came noble  *'  fishers,"  and  laid  the  result  of  their  efforts 
at  the  Saviour's  feet.  Among  those  who  were  sensibly 
affected  by  that  sermon,  was  one  who  afterwards  made 
his  mark  as  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Divine  Master. 
In  a  letter  to  me  after  the  return  of  the  vessel,  giving 
an  account  of  his  conversion,  he  says  : 

"1  have  not  forgotten  the  advice  you  gave  us  when  you 
preached  to  us  before  we  left  New  York.  I  have  been  a  great 
sinner  !  For  the  last  twelve  years  I  have  been  going  down  to 
perdition  ;  but  I  have  been  arrested  by  divine  mercy,  and  made 
to  see  my  evil  ways.  I  cannot  be  too  thankful  to  God  for  not 
cutting  me  down  in  the  midst  of  my  sins.  I  hope  you  will  pray 
for  me,  and  ask  the  church  members  to  pray  for  me,  that  God 
may  give  me  strength  to  walk  in  his  way  all  the  days  of  my  life. 
We  have  daily  prayer-meetings  on  our  berth-deck,  at  which  sin- 
ners are  invited  to  come  to  God.  It  is  conducted  by  a  few  pray- 
ing sailors.  I  hope  there  will  be  many  more  before  long.  Our 
chaplain  is  a  godly  man  ;  I  hope  he  will  receive  a  full  reward 
when  he  dies.  If  I  never  see  you  again  on  earth  I  hope  to  meet 
you  in  heaven."' 

Another  of  her  crew,  who  maintained  the  honor  of 
Christ's  cause  during  the  whole  of  the  Niagara's  cruise, 
who,  on  leaving  her,  carried  his  religious  zeal  into  the 


j.88  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

army  and  illumined  the  camp  and  bivouac  with  the 
brightness  of  his  life  and  labors,  and  who  did  effectual 
missionary  work  until  the  close  of  the  war,  wrote  me  : 

"  Through  the  mercy  of  God  I  am  spared  to  tell  you  of  what 
my  blessed  Saviour  has  done  for  me.  When  I  was  running  in 
the  broad  road  to  ruin,  he  plucked  me  as  a  brand  out  of  the  fire. 
I  can  never  praise  him  enough  ;  yet  I  do  want  to  praise  him 
more  now  than  ever,  for  his  goodness  and  mercy  to  me.  I  was 
sinning  with  a  high  hand,  and  an  outstretched  arm.  But  now  I 
am  praying  to  Him  to  bless  and  strengthen  me  and  to  guide  me 
in  the  narrow  path  that  leadeth  unto  life.  Oh,  sir,  I  do  love 
him  !  He  is  my  best  Friend  ;  he  is  always  with  me.  I  would 
not  part  with  the  blessed  hope  he  has  kindled  in  my  heart  for  the 
whole  world." 

After  being  out  of  commission  twenty-one  months, 
she  was  ordered  to  receive  the  Japanese  ambassadors  and 
suite  and  to  bear  them  to  their  Island  home  in  the  East. 
The  incidents  of  her  voyage ;  the  work  of  grace  which 
characterized  it ;  the  impression  made  upon  her  illus- 
trious passengers,  who  witnessed  the  scenes  enacted  daily 
and  marked  the  effect  of  the  religion  of  Christ  on  the 
rough  natures  of  the  men ;  the  devotion  and  missionary 
zeal  of  the  brethren  ;  the  good  conduct  of  the  crew  gen- 
erally; the  piety,  humility  and  nobleness  of  character 
displayed  by  her  captain  and  converted  officers ;  the 
effect  of  the  ship's  visit  on  the  missionaries  in  Japan, 
their  intercourse  with  the  men  of  God  who  so  faithfully 
represented  the  power  of  divine  grace  in  that  heathen 
land  ;  and  withal,  the  earnest  and  faithful  labors,  and 
intense  sympathy  with  the  work  of  her  noble  and  devoted 
chaplain,  Rev.  Charles  S.  Stewart — all  these,  if  given  in 
detail,  would  make  a  most  readable  volume.     But  I  must 


■ 


SCENES    UNPRECEDENTED.  489 

content  myself  at  this  time  in  given  the  merest  summary  ; 
and  cannot  do  this  better  than  by  submitting  parts  of 
the  correspondence  of  her  zealous  seamen  and  her  godly 
chaplain,  who  kept  me  informed  of  the  progress  of  the 
good  work. 

On  the  homeward  passage,  one  who  had  temporarily 
recoiled  before  the  powers  of  darkness,  was  restored, 
and  as  in  many  other  instances,  the  return  of  the  prodigal 
was  followed  by  scenes  of  joy  among  the  brethren  almost 
unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  work.  It  was  also 
the  means,  under  God,  of  an  awakening  among  the  un- 
godly, and  resulted  in  a  revival  of  wonderful  power,  such 
as  we  have  no  record  of  in  the  past,  among  men  on  the 
sea.  I  will  let  the  witnesses  of  those  nightly  scenes  tell 
their  own  story ;  selecting  two  or  three  only,  out  of  the 
many  ;  although  I  believe  every  word  of  each  correspon- 
dent would  be  read  with  eagerness  and  delight.  The 
restored  one  wrote  me  on  April  17th,  1861,  at  sea,  as 
follows  : 

"My  Dear  Brother  in  Jesus — I  am  s^lad,  yea,  happy,  that  by 
the  boundless  and  infinite  goodness  of  our  long-suffering  and 
indulgent  God,  I  can  again  call  you  my  brother.  God  loves  me, 
even  me.  He  has  forgiven  me.  His  blessed  spirit  again  bears 
witness  with  my  spirit  that  I  am  his  child.  Praise  the  Lord  for 
his  forgiving  mercy  and  love.  I  have  great  and  'glad  tidings  '  to. 
give  you.  God,  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  in  this  ship,  has  been  and  is 
still  answering  the  prayers  of  his  Church.  Since  we  left  Aden,  the 
work  of  grace  has  been  in  progress  among  the  ward-room  officers 
as  well  as  among  the  men.  The  sailing-master  has  boldly 
declared  himself  on  the  Lord's  side.  He  spoke  of  his  pardoned 
sins,  and  plead  with  others  to  fly  for  safety  to  Jesus.  One  of  the 
lieutenants,  the  young  surgeon,  the  chief-engineer  and  three 
assistants,  two  of  the  midshipmen,  and  the  carpenter,  have  all 


490  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

avowed  themselves  believers,  and  most  of  them  take  part  openly 
in  our  meetings.  Among  the  men  the  workings  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  have  been  wonderful  indeed.  Forty-three  of  them  have 
been  brought  to  Christ.  Ten  others  have  expressed  their  desire 
for  prayer  in  their  behalf.  Captains  of  the  forecastle  and  the  tops, 
firemen  and  marines  are  included. 

"  In  all  parts  of  the  ship,  in  eveiy  mess  nearly,  Jesus  is  loved. 
Many  speak  of  the  danger  of  delay.  The  sudden  death  of  one 
of  our  firemen,  on  whose  head  a  block  from  aloft  fell,  and  killed 
him,  has  been  used  of  God  to  startle  others  and  awake  them  to 
the  necessity  of  coming  to  God  at  once." 

Another,  himself  a  new  convert,  a  few  days  later  wrote 
me : 

"  Your  precious  and  welcome  letters,  by  the  Vandalia,  were 
received  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  My  dear  sir,  I  never  knew 
what  happiness  was  untd  I  began  to  serve  the  Lord.  After  we 
landed  our  passengers,  the  Ambassadors,  at  Jeddo,  we  returned 
to  Yokohama  where  we  were  granted  twenty-four  hours  liberty 
ashore.  I  never  enjoyed  myself  so  much  in  my  life.  We  attended 
a  prayer- meeting  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  missionaries.  In 
Hong-Kong,  our  next  port,  we  visited  Mr.  Beecher's  prayer-meet- 
ing, and  had  also  two  delightful  religious  services  with  our 
Christian  brethren  of  the  Hartford.  They  were  indeed  blessed 
meetings.  We  went  from  Hong-Kong  to  Singapore,  and  thence 
to  Aden,  with  Mr.  Ward,  our  minister  to  China,  on  his  wav 
home  to  the  United  States. 

"The  death  of  one  of  our  firemen  has  led  me  to  give  thanks 
to  God  anew  for  sparing  my  life.  His  msrcy  and  loving-kind- 
ness to  such  a  poor  sinner  as  I  have  been  and  am,  is  very  great 
I  can  truly  say  that  Christ  is  precious  to  my  soul.  His  name  is 
sweet.  Our  prayer-meetings  are  a  source  of  real  inexpressible 
happiness  to  my  soul.  The  voice  of  God  has  spoken  again  to  us 
by  the  death  of  two  men,  invalided  from  the  Hartford,  whom  we 
were  bringing  home.      He  says  to  us  :    '  Be  ye  also  ready  !'    I  am 


SCENES    IN    CAPE    TOWN.  49 1 

determined,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  be  always  ready,  to  live  a 
Christian  life  daily,  so  that  if  I  am  called,  the  language  of  my  soul 
will  be,  *Thy  will  be  done.' 

''While  in  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  we  had  a  delightfully 
pleasant  time.  We  were  ashore  on  liberty  for  forty-eight  hours, 
which  we  spent  in  the  company  of  the  Christian  people  of  Cape 
Town.  Rev.  Mr.  Thompson  invited  us  to  his  house  to  tea  ; 
thence,  accompanied  by  our  chaplain,  we  went  to  his  church  and 
testified  for  Christ.  It  was  none  other  than  the  gate  of  heaven 
to  our  souls.  The  second  night  we  had  another  meeting  in  the 
same  church,  which  we  conducted  ourselves,  after  our  manner  on 
board  the  ship.  The  next  day  our  liberty  was  up  ;  but  as  it  was 
blowing  a  gale  of  wind  we  could  have  no  communication  with 
the  ship,  and  were  consequently  compelled  to  spend  the  night 
ashore.  This  we  improved  by  holding  a  prayer-meeting  in  the 
hotel.  It  was  a  profitable  season.  Oh,  my  dear  pastor,  the 
Niagara's  crew  have  left  a  name  behind  them  that  will  not  be  for- 
gotten for  years.  The  governor,  Sir  George  Grey,  has  been 
heard  to  say,  and  many  of  the  people  too,  that  there  never  was  a 
man-of-war's  crev/,  American  or  English,  on  liberty,  ashore  in 
Town,  who  behaved  so  remarkably  well,  as  our  men.  Over  two 
thousand  persons  visited  the  ship  while  we  lay  there — as  one  of 
the  wonders  of  the  world.  No  wonder,  for  the  Niagara  is  truly  a 
revival  ship," 

Another,  who  was  converted  on  board  the  North  Car- 
olina, with  many  more,  in  1 860,  and  who  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  leaders  of  the  meetings,  in  giving 
an  account  of  their  Cape  Town  visit,  presents  us  with 
some  details  not  mentioned  in  the  above  extracts.  He 
says : 

''The  captain  gave  me  permission  to  make  up  a  list  of  the 
Christian  brethren  who  desired  to  go  ashore.  I  took  the  names 
of  twenty-five.  Before  going  ashore,  we  had  secured  a  house  in 
which  we  could  have   accommodations    for   reading,  sleeping, 


49^  FIFTY   YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

quiet,  etc.  We  were  invited  to  the  house  of  the  minister,  who 
received  us  with  Christian  friendship.  After  taking  tea  with 
him  and  his  family,  we  accompanied  them  to  his  church,  w^here 
we  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  speak  on  Africa's  shore 
a  word  of  praise  to  our  Saviour.  Several  of  our  brethren  were 
able  with  holy  boldness  to  testify  of  the  goodness  of  the  Lord. 
The  Christian  people  looked  on  with  interest  and  astonishment ; 
and  some  said,  '  It  was  never  seen  on  this  wise  before  in  Cape 
Town. '  This,  dear  brother,  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvel- 
lous in  our  eyes.     Our  friends  opened  their  houses  for  us. 

"The  Tuesday  evening  meeting  was  well  attended  by  our 
shore  friends,  who  were  interested  to  see  the  service  conducted 
as  we  are  accustomed  to  do  on  board  our  own  ship.  Wednesday 
evening  we  held  our  meeting  in  the  hotel,  within  earshot  of  the 
enemies'  camp.  On  Thursday  morning  we  all  reported  on  board, 
in  good  order." 

What  occurred  on  the  passage  home  from  the  Cape 
to  Boston,  may  be  best  communicated  in  the  words  of 
their  chaplain  and  spiritual  guide.  I  will  quote  from  his 
letter,  as,  from  his  standpoint,  the  intelligence  has  a  pe- 
culiar preciousness,  and  he  speaks — as  no  one  else  could 
so  well — of  the  faithfulness  of  the  devoted  men  who  la- 
bored with  him  in  the  gospel,  and  without  whose  exem- 
plary zeal  and  active  effort,  the  record  of  the  ship's  in- 
fluence and  the  progress  of  divine  grace  among  her 
officers  and  crew,  must  have  been  less  cheering  than  it 
is.  He  writes  while  in  the  Gulf  Stream,  under  date  of 
April  2 1  St,  1861: 

''My  Dea?-  Jones — I  wrote  to  you  from  Aden,  a  letter,  which 
doubtless  you  have  received.     You  will  rejoice  to  hear  that  shortly 

aiter  it  was  written,  S was  recovered,  by  the  grace  of  God,  from 

the  snare  of  the  adversaiy,  into  which  he  had  fallen,  as  reported 
by  me.     He  is  very  penitent  and  very  humble  ;  has^  made  a  full 


GOLD  LACE  AND  BLUE  FLANNEL.       493 

and  public  confession  of  the  guilt  and  sin  of  his  fall,  before  both 
the  brethren  and  the  crew.  He  is  again  hopeful  and  active  in 
our  meetings  and  on  deck,  among  his  shipmates. 

' '  You  v/ill  rejoice  to  know  that  the  prayers  which  have  so  long 
followed  this  ship,  have  been  heard,  and  that  the  work  of  grace 
which  began  to  be  manifest  among  us  in  the  case  of  individuals 
here  and  there  on  board,  more  than  six  months  ago,  has  gradually 
and  quietly  increased  in  power  and  effect ;  that,  almost  without 
being  aware  of  it,  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  revival.  The  whole 
number  of  conversions  on  board  previous  to  our  arrival  at  Cape 
Town,  two  months  ago,  amounted  only  to  some  twenty  ;  about 
thirty  have  been  added  since  we  left  Table  Bay,  six  weeks  ago, 
including  eight  officers  of  all  ranks,  from  lieutenants  down  ;  and 
the  scenes  which  you  and  I  witnessed  together  two  years  ago— on 
board  the  North  Carolina,  are  to  be  seen  nightly  now  on  board 
the  Niagara,  except  that  here  the  gold  lace  mingles  in  greater 
abundance  with  the  blue  flannel  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  than  v/as 
ever  the  case  before.  The  night  before  last,  eleven  officers, 
avowedly  on  the  Lord's  side,  were  at  the  meeung,  and  fifteen 
foremast  hands  confessed  Christ  before  the  ship's  company.  Last 
night  three  others  avouched  the  Lord  to  be  their^God. 

"The  meeting  this  evening  surpassed  all  previous  ones  in  feel- 
ing and  interest.  It  reminded  me  of  that  on  board  the  North 
Carolina  the  night  before  the  draft  left  for  Boston,  on  the  27th  of 
April,  1859.  Captain  McKean  made  the  closing  address,  as  you 
did  then.  It  was  excellent,  though  he  was  choked  with  emotion, 
and  could  with  difficulty  restrain  his  tears.  The  tears  of  others 
among  the  brethren  flowed  freely  ;  while  on  all  sides,  clustered 
like  bees  around  the  praying  group,  the  crew  gazed  with  wonder 
at  the  novel  sight  of  the  commander  of  one  of  the  first  men-of-war 
afloat,  confessing  Christ  as  his  Lord  and  Saviour  before  a  com- 
pany of  his  officers  and  men,  followers  of  the  same  Divine 
Master — and,  in  effect,  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  unconverted 
under  his  command  assembled  around  him.  We  have  been 
greatly  blessed,  for  which  you  will  give  praise.     Monro  is  a  true 


494  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

missionan^ ;  Wilson,  a  'gem  of  purest  ray  serene/  Jenkinson 
is  fervent  in  spirit,  gifted  in  prayer,  and  faithfully  serving  the 
Lord.--' 

The  three  men  mentioned  were  members  of  our  Mar- 
iners' church,  and  have  justified  by  their  subsequent  lives 
the  testimony  of  their  devoted  chaplain — whose  coun- 
sels and  instructions  they  shared,  and  Vv^hose  hand  they 
so  nobly  upheld  during  the  entire  cruise  of  the  Niagara. 

The  description  above  given  of  the  nightly  scenes  on 
board  this  truly  privileged  vessel,  presenting,  as  it  does, 
the  testimony  of  both  ends  of  the  ship — forward  and 
aft,  will  convey  to  the  reader  a  graphic  delineation  of  a 
condition  of  things  at  sea,  which,  though  rare  in  our  day, 
is  yet  to  become  more  general,  when  in  accordance  with 
the  prediction  of  the  Word,  the  spirit  of  God  will  dispel 
with  his  own  effulgent  presence  the  moral  darkness 
which  has  so  long  shrouded,  and  which  still,  to  a  large 
extent,  reigns  on  the  deep,  by  the  conversion  of  **  the 
abundance  of  the  sea." 

I  quote  further,  a  letter  from  the  same  pen,  written 
while  blockading  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi,  in  which 
subsequent  events  are  recorded.  It  is  dated  November 
2nd,  1861  : 

*'  Though  within  the  distance  of  a  week  by  steamer  from  New 
York,  we  have  been  twice  vy^ithout  a  mail,  a  letter  or  a  newspaper, 
for  six  weeks  in  succession  ;  and  I  have  no  recollection  of  having 
ever  felt  even  in  my  missionary  life  at  the  Sandwich  Islands — then, 
the  ultima  thule  of  the  world — so  entirely  cut  off  from  the  sweet 
charities  of  Hfe.  Still,  I  have  seldom  been  more  content,  or 
more  truly  happy ;  chiefly  from  the  conviction  thac  I  am  at  the 
post  of  duty,  with  evidences  past  and  present  of  a  work  around 
me  to  be  accomplished  by  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 


CONVERSIONS    STILL   OCCURRING.  495 

''The  Niagara,  as  you  may  recollect,  arrived  from  Japan  in 
April,  in  a  state  of  much  religious  interest.  Some  fifty  of  the 
ship's  company,  embracing  officers  as  well  as  seamen,  had  been 
hopefully  converted  during  her  absence  ;  the  greater  number 
within  a  few  weeks  just  preceding.  The  influences  leading  to 
this  happy  result  were  still  prevailing  ;  but  were,  almost  unavoid- 
ably, stayed  by  the  circumstances  awaiting  our  arrival.  No 
intelligence  from  the  United  States  had  reached  us  for  many 
months  ;  we  were  ignorant  of  the  secession  of  any  of  them,  and 
little  prepared  for  the  shock  of  the  first  words  reaching  us  from  a 
pilot  boat  as  she  swept  under  our  stern  :  '  The  Union  is  gone  ! 
We  are  at  war  !  Fighting  has  begun  I'  Nearly  half  the  com- 
missioned officers  of  the  Niagara  refused  to  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  required  from  them,  and  abruptly  left  the  ship  as 
secessionists,  the  same  day.  In  place  of  leave  to  the  rest  to  visit 
their  friends  and  homes,  and  the  discharge  of  all  hands  to  the 
enjoyment  of  liberty,  as  had  been  confidently  looked  for,  after  a 
year  of  almost  uninterrupted  confinement  on  board  ship,  in  a 
voyage  of  more  than  forty  thousand  miles,  we  had  orders  for 
immediate  service  at  sea  again,  and  were  hurried  off  on  our 
present  duty. 

"That  the  good  work  in  progress  on  board  should  have 
suffered  a  check  by  such  disturbing  causes,  was  not  a  surprise. 
For  a  time  this  was  the  fact,  so  far  as  regarded  new  cases  of  con- 
version ;  but  the  faith,  hope  and  spirit  of  prayer  of  those  already 
on  the  Lord's  side  continued  in  lively  exercise  ;  and  at  the  end 
of  a  few  weeks,  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  was  again  manifested  in 
the  conviction  and  inquiring  state  of  one  and  another  here  and 
there,  among  both  officers  and  crew.  Hopeful  conversions  have 
again  occurred  up  to  the  present  time,  and  within  the  last  two 
months  twelve  more  have  been  added  to  the  number  of  professed 
disciples,  and  have  openly  joined  our  band  of  praying  men. 
Among  these  are  three  young  officers,  graduates  of  the  Naval 
Academy,  of  special  interest  and  promise.  One,  the  son  of  a 
distinguished  general  officer  in  the  army,  now  in  active  service ; 


496  FIFTY   YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

another  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  most  celebrated  divines  and 
theologians  of  the  present  century,  in  our  country  ;  and  the  third 
a  descendant  of  the  well-known  and  honored  Presidents  of  the 
College  of  New  Jersey,  Di-.  Stanhope  Smith  and  Dr.  Witherspoon. 
These  three  complete  the  number  of  twelve  officers  of  the  Niagara, 
who,  within  the  year  past,  have  publicly  cast  their  lot  in  this 
regard,  with  Christian  sailors  on  board.  It  is  certainly  an 
interesting  sign  of  the  times  that  there  are  found  among  the  most 
promising  young  officers  of  our  service,  those,  who  not  only  have 
the  independence  and  decision  of  character  to  avow  themselves  to 
their  messmates  and  fellow-officers,  to  be  followers  of  the  blessed 
Saviour,  but  also  unhesitatingly  to  identify  themselves  as  such  at 
our  nightly  prayer  and  conference  meetings,  with  the  humblest 
sailor  under  them  who  loves  the  Lord,  as  members  of  a  common 
brotherhood.  With  a  commander-in-chief,  deeply  interested  in 
the  best  good  of  all  under  him — himself  an  humble  and  consistent 
follower  of  Christ  ;  with  a  fine  set  of  officers  generally,  so  many 
of  them  of  the  same  mind  as  our  chief,  and  so  large  a  number 
of  professed  Christians  and  converts  among  the  crew,  the  com- 
bined influence  on  all  on  board  has  been  most  marked  and  most 
salutary. 

"  We  have  a  happy  ship  ;  one  that  is  a  model  in  good  disci- 
pline, good  order,  and  consequently  in  contentment.  The  only 
element  of  dissatisfaction  is  the  unavoidable  inactivity  of  our 
present  service.  The  whole  ship's  company  are  longing  for  some 
opportunity  of  exhibiting  their  devotion  to  their  flag  and  to  the 
Union,  and  in  regard  to  the  conflict  in  which  we  are  engaged, 
are  as  restive  as  a  war-horse  under  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and 
as  eager  for  the  signal  for  battle. 

The  devotion  to  Commodore  McKean  is  without  bounds.  In 
all  my  sea  service  of  many  years  I  have  never  known  it  equalled. 
Should  the  occasion  ever  occur  for  the  calling  of  volunteers  by 
him,  were  it  for  the  most  forlorn  of  forlorn  hopes,  I  doubt 
whether  there  is  a  man  among  them  who  would  not  spring  to  be 
first  at  his  side  ;  or  one  whom   he  might  not  lead  wherever  he 


ADMIRAL    ASKING    PRAYERS    OF    HIS    MEN.       497 

would.  His  promotion  as  admiral — for  such  truly  is  his  rank, 
though  our  democratic  legislators  very  fastidiously  object  to  the 
style,  and  choose  in  its  stead,  the  awkward  and  somewhat 
unmeaning  epithet,  '  Flag-officer ' — was  a  matter  of  great  satisfac- 
tion to  all  hands,  much  more  so  than  to  himself;  and  the  cheer 
upon  cheer  which  spontaneously  burst  forth,  when,  without  any 
previous  notice,  and  without  form,  or  the  customary  salute,  a 
fact  indicative  of  the  unostentatiouscharacterof  the  commodore — 
the  blue  flag  was  seen  to  float  from  our  masthead,  told  the  feel- 
ings of  the  heart  towards  him  whose  command  it  proclaimed.  As 
you  well  know,  he  is  a  man  of  prayer  ;  and  during  our  whole 
cruise  has  been  found  night  after  night  at  our  prayer  and  confer- 
ence meetings  on  the  forward  deck,  occupying  the  same  plank  for 
a  seat  with  the  common  sailor,  uniting  in  the  songs  of  praise  and 
in  the  prayers  of  the  humblest  of  them,  and  himself  often  leading 
us  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  at  the  throne  of  grace,  or  addressing  words 
of  encouragement  to  the  professor  and  of  exhortation  and  persua- 
sion to  the  careless  and  unconcerned. 

"  His  promotion  as  chief  has  produced  no  change  in  this 
respect.  He  was  in  his  accustomed  place  the  first  night  after 
securing  it ;  and  I  know  not  when  I  have  been  more  touched 
than  when,  at  the  close  of  the  meeting,  he  motioned  me  to  with- 
hold the  usual  benediction  for  a  moment,  that  he  might,  as  I 
soon  discovered,  solicit  the  prayers  of  his  brother  sailors  and  fel- 
low Christians,  lowly  as  their  position  in  comparison  with  his  is, 
that  he  might  have  grace  and  strength  from  the  hearer  of  prayer, 
to  discharge  the  responsibilities  newly  devolved  upon  him,  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  best  interests  and  honor  of  his  country. 
Such  proofs  of  independence  of  character,  and  just  indifference  to 
the  views  or  opinions  of  men  of  the  world  in  Christian  profession, 
are  evidences  of  true  nobility  of  heart  and  mind.  I  could  not 
but  be  reminded  by  this  incident  of  similar  instances  of  Christian 
decision  and  piety  recorded  of  the  gallant  soldier  and  devoted 
Christian,  Havelock.  Yours  truly." 

At  the  termination  of  the  cruise,  in  a  letter  to  one  of 
52 


49S  P^IFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  officers  of  our  church,  he  presents  a  historic  sum- 
mary ;  which,  while  it  supplements,  will  also  add  to 
the  interest  of  the  preceding  communication.  It  is 
written  from  New  York,  dated  July  29th,  1862,  and 
runs  thus  : 

''  Dear  Sir — The  cruise  of  two  years  recently  completed  by  the 
U.  S.  steam  frigate  Niagara,  was  characterized  by  incidents  of  a 
religious  nature  worthy  of  permanent  record  in  the  archives  c>f  the 
Port  Society ;  more  especially,  from  the  fact  that  among  the 
instrumentalities,  which  through  the  grace  of  God  tended  to 
issues  so  interesting,  and  so  marked  in  the  spiritual  statistics  of 
the  sea,  are  to  be  reckoned  conspicuously,  the  consistent  Christian 
deportment,  the  active  piety,  and  the  enduring  faith  and  love  of 
some  of  the  crew,  who  hold  membership  and  communion  in  the 
Mariners'  church,  organized  and  sustained  in  this  city  by  the 
Port  Society.  Under  this  impression,  I  address  to  you  a  brief 
letter  on  the  subject. 

* '  The  Niagara  is,  in  herself,  one  of  the  finest  vessels  ever  con- 
structed. Till  recently,  if  not  still,  she  is  the  largest  man-of-war 
afloat,  a  model  of  naval  architecture,  of  symmetr}',  strength,  and 
gigantic  proportions  :  and  unsurpassed  in  her  appointments  of 
comfort  and  beauty  for  the  accommodation  of  a  ship's  company 
of  some  six  hundred  persons.  The  selection  of  this  vessel  by  the 
government,  in  i860,  to  be  the  bearer  to  their  distant  homes  of 
the  embassy  from  Japan,  the  guests  of  the  nation,  and  the  objects 
of  absorbing  interest  at  the  time,  brought  her  afresh  before  the 
public,  and  made  her,  in  connection  with  the  mission  to  which 
she  was  appointed,  an  object  both  of  attraction  and  hope  to  the 
Christian  community  at  large. 

"Circumstances  in  her  very  outfit,  seemed  to  foreshadow  a  pur- 
pose in  the  providence  of  God  and  of  grace  to  bless.  A  profess- 
edly and  demonstratively  Christian  man.  Commodore  McKean, 
was  designated  to  carry  out  as  her  commander  the  wishes  of  the 
government  in  regard  to  the  voyage.     Among  the  crew  detailed 


AN    OVERRULING    PROVIDENCE.  499 

for  her  was  the  nucleus  of  a  church,  m  some  ten  avowed  Christians 
of  different  denominations,  warm  in  the  love  of  the  Saviour, 
active  in  zeal  and  fervent  in  prayer,  that  their  careless  and  uncon- 
verted shipmates  might  be  brought  to  a  like  faith  and  blessedness 
with  themselves.  Among  other  means  of  grace  on  board  pro- 
vision was  made  for  a  preached  gospel  by  the  addition  of  a 
chaplain  to  the  complement  of  her  officers.  The  knowledge  of 
these  facts,  connected  with  the  embarkation  on  board  the 
Niagara  of  so  large  and  distinguished  a  party  of  visitors  from  a 
pagan  land,  for  a  voyage  of  more  than  half  the  circuit  of  the 
globe,  not  only  awakened  a  lively  interest  in  the  church  in 
general,  but  called  forth  a  widespread  and  earnest  spirit  of  prayer 
for  the  ship — for  her  commander,  officers  and  crew,  for  her  pious 
seamen  and  her  chaplain,  and  for  the  noble  passengers  borne  by 
them  to  their  far-off  home.  Prayer  thus  elicited  was  not  in  vain. 
From  first  to  last  the  good  providence  of  God  seemed  specially 
to  encircle  and  attend  the  ship.  In  less  than  a  year  she  passed 
in  safety  from  storm  and  tempest,  and  even  from  the  threatenings 
of  them,  with  unequalled  health  in  the  whole  ship's  company, 
and  uninterrupted  blessings — over  more  than  forty  thousand  miles 
of  sea,  from  low  southern  to  the  northern,  and  again  from  high 
northern  to  southern  latitudes  in  the  voyage  to  and  from  Japan, 
and  afterwards  served  fourteen  months  on  the  blockade  in  the 
trying  climate  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  including  two  days'  exposure 
in  the  hazards  of  battle,  without  any  damage  or  disaster  worthy  of 
mention. 

"  It  is  not,  however,  of  these  guardian  mercies  of  Providence 
during  the  cruise,  marked  as  they  were,  that  are  so  deserving  of 
notice,  as  the  richer  blessings  of  grace  vouchsafed  from  the  very 
day  of  departure,  manifested  chiefly  in  and  through  the  nightly 
prayer-meeting  established  on  the  first  evening  after  leaving  port, 
and  sustained  uninterruptedly  to  the  end  of  the  cruise,  excepting 
for  a  night  or  two  occasionally,  under  peculiar  circumstances  of 
ship's  dut}^  An  overruling  Providence,  clearly  seen  afterwards, 
determined  the  place  in  which  the  meeting  was  held.     It  was  the 


500  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

intention  originally,  both  of  those  chiefly  interested  in  its 
establishment,  and  of  the  officers  having  authority,  to  designate  the 
part  of  the  ship  most  appropriate  for  it,  to  use  for  the  purpose  a 
retired  spot  on  the  orlop-deck,  comparatively  remote  from  the 
general  resort  of  the  ship's  company,  with  the  view  of  thus 
securing  greater  quietude  and  freedom  from  disturbance  than  a 
more  conspicuous  and  open  situation  would  admit.  It  was  found 
necessary,  however,  from  the  quantity  and  bulk  of  the  personal 
effects  of  the  ambassadors  and  their  suite,  to  occupy  with  these, 
the  space  thus  thought  of,  and  the  only  alternative  was  to  hold 
the  meetings  on  the  spar-deck,  open  to  the  obsei'\ddon  of  all 
hands,  officers,  men  and  passengers.  The  accommodations  for 
it  consisted  in  the  arrangement  of  low  trestles,  and  of  the  requisite 
number  of  planks  for  seats — in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square — with 
a  chest  in  lieu  of  a  table  in  the  midst  for  central  lights.  Lamps 
were  also  suspended  on  either  side  from  beams  overhead.  This 
undesigned,  but  under  the  circumstances,  necessary  publicity  of 
place,  soon  proved  to  be  the  occasion  of  blessing.  It  brought 
the  prayer- meeting,  nightly,  to  the  unavoidable  notice  of  the 
careless  and  the  ungodly,  as  well  as  to  that  of  the  thoughtful  and 
religiously  disposed.  The  result,  in  many  cases,  was  that  which 
an  intelligent  and  accomplished  young  officer  touchingly  and 
beautifully  expressed,  as  his  personal  experience  in  regard  to  it, 
when  first  giving  utterance,  long  afterwards,  at  this  meeting,  to  the 
new-born  affections  and  purposes  of  a  converted  sinner 

'*  '  Little  did  I  think,  was  his  language,'  when  first  I  saw  these 
lights  gleaming  along  the  deck  in  the  far  distance,  that  they  were 
to  become  beacons  to  my  soul  in  the  voyage  of  life,  or  that  the 
far-off  echoings  of  the  songs  of  praise  and  the  voice  of  prayer  in 
this  spot  would  prove  the  means  of  winning  my  heart  to  God,  and 
of  guiding  my  feet  in  the  way  everlasting.' 

* '  For  some  time  the  meeting  was  limited  almost  exclusively  to 
the  professedly  religious  men,  ten  in  number.  Commodore  Mc- 
Kean,  much  as  his  sympathies  were  with  and  in  it,  did  not  attend 
at  first  openly,  though  often  unobservedly  within  hearing,   under 


REMARKABLE    RESULTS.  SOI 

the  apprehension  that  his  presence,  if  known,  might  operate  as  a 
restraint  upon  the  seamen  in  the  freedom  of  their  exhortations 
and  prayers  ;  but  finding  this,  on  venturing  the  experiment,  not 
to  be  the  case,  he  became  a  regular  attendant,  and  often  an  active 
participator  in  the  devotions  of  the  hour,  by  addresses  of  instruction 
and  encouragement  and  by  prayer. 

"Soon  many  of  the  ships  company,  who  at  first  stood  afar-off, 
drew  near  ;  occasionally  an  officer  or  two  followed  the  example 
of  their  commander  in  being  present,  till  by  degrees  the  ten  or 
twelve  became  fifteen,  twenty,  then  thirty,  and  forty,  and  fifty, 
till  the  regular  number  amounted  to  well-nigh  if  not  quite  a 
hundred  ;  while  many  others,  unwilling  from  fear  of  reproach 
publicly  to  join  the  seated  group,  sought  places  around  where 
they  might  see  and  hear  without  being  themselves  especially 
noticed.  Long  before  the  meeting  bore  this  external  aspect,  it 
had  become  manifest  that  the  promises  of  hope,  with  which  we 
had  been  encouraged  at  the  outset,  were  being  fulfilled  by  the 
presence  in  our  midst  of  the  Spirit  of  grace  in  the  performance  of 
His  appointed  work  to  convince  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment.  Some  of  the  most  interesting  and  most  manly  of  the 
crew,  in  different  parts  of  the  ship,  had  been  so  wrought  upon  by 
the  truth,  as  to  be  constrained  with  broken  utterance  and  uncon- 
trolled tears,  earnestly  to  inquire  what  they  should  do  to  be 
saved  ;  and  publicly  solicit  the  prayers  of  the  meeting  in  their 
behalf.  Many  of  these  were  soon  hopefully  converted  ;  and  so 
,mfluenced  others  by  their  example  as  to  lead  them  too,  to  the 
open  profession  of  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Gradually  one  and  another  of  the  officers  of 
various  ranks  and  in  diff"erent  departments  of  the  service — ward- 
room officers  and  engineers,  midshipmen  and  warrant  officers — 
who  were  led  to  the  place  of  prayer,  and  brought  into  the  influences 
which  had  already  impressed  so  many  of  the  crew,  were  constrained 
in  like  manner  to  yield  their  minds  and  hearts  to  the  claims  of  the 
gospel,  and  to  witness  a  good  confession  before  their  shipmates, 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  the  only  hope  and  only  Saviour  of  sinners. 


502  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

''Such,  without  any  special  or  undue  excitement,  continued 
to  be  the  rehgious  state  of  the  ship  month  after  month,  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  cruise,  till  over  seventy  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany, including  fifteen  officers,  were  numbered  among  the  hope- 
fully converted.  Although  occasionally,  in  the  lapse  of  time, 
one  and  another  of  these  fell  seemingly  away,  the  spirit  of  con- 
viction and  conversion  in  others  was  manifested  in  greater  or  less 
frequency,  and  the  prayer-meeting  retained  its  power  and  soiritu- 
ality  to  the  last.  The  spectacle  presented  by  it,  night  after  night, 
during  a  cruise  of  two  years,  was  a  novelty  on  board  of  a  man-of- 
war  ;  the  more  noticeable,  perhaps,  after  the  Niagara  became  the 
flag-ship — when  the  flag-oflicer  of  the  squadron,  and  his  captain, 
with  others  of  similar  official  influence  on  board,  were  thus  seen 
in  the  same  group  with  the  hardy  seamen  and  the  humble  fore- 
mast hands  under  their  command,  bowed  together  without  dis- 
tinction of  name  or  rank,  in  prayer  and  praise  before  a  common 
God  and  Saviour. 

"Whatever  the  proud  and  the  haughty  among  men  might 
think  and  say,  in  contemplating  the  scene,  it  was  one,  not  only 
making  glad  the  heart  of  the  Christian  on  earth,  who  was  privi- 
leged to  witness  it,  but,  I  doubt  not,  on  the  authority  of  the  Word 
of  God,  giving  joy  also  to  the  angels  in  heaven. 

' '  Yours  truly,  Chas.    S.   Stewart, 

Chaplain  U.  S.  Navy.'' 

Said  I  not  truly  that  her  history  would  justify  us  in 
calling  the  Niagara  a  Gospel  ship  ? 


CHAPTER     XXV. 

PASTORAL      S(3LICITUDE. 

Christian  counsel — Sailor's  closet — Refreshing  scenes — Religious  men  ap- 
preciated— Church  services — Letter  to  sailor  boy — Perils  of  the  forecastle 
— Dare  to  be  right — Letters  prized — Nervous  prostration — Resignation — 
Resolutions  of  Port  Society — Sailors'  Snug  Harbor. 

I  HAVE  purposely  kept  out  of  this  book  many  commu- 
nications from  friends  expressive  of  their  appreciation  of 
the  benefits  resultin^^  from  the  correspondence.  Some  have 
requested  me  to  pubhsh  my  pastoral  letters.  This  I 
must  decline,  if  for  no  other  reason,  than  the  want  of 
room.  I  comply  however  to  the  extent  of  inserting  one 
of  the  pastorals,  and  one  to  a  sailor-boy  on  his  first  voy- 
age. These  may  be  read  by  some  thoughtless  sailor 
after  I  am  in  my  grave,  aiid  perhaps  lead  a  soul  to 
Christ. 

''  Beloved  brethren  in  the  Lord — As  an  evidence  of  our  care  for 
your  spiritual  interest,  and  of  our  continued  sympathy  and 
affectionate  regard,  accept,  we  beseech  you,  this  pastoral  letter. 
For  I  assure  you  that  we  do  not  cease  to  pray  for  you,  and  desire 
'  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  God's  holy  will,  in 
all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding  ;  that  ye  might  walK 
worthy  of  the  Lord  to  all  well  pleasing,  being  fruitful  in  every 
good  work,  and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God  ;  strengthened 
with  all  might  ;  according  to  his  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience 
and  long-suffering  with  joyfulness.'     The  privation  of  spiritual 

503 


504  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

privileges  which  you  all  more  or  less  are  called  upon  to  endure, 
and  the  continued  exposure  of  those  who  would  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus,  to  the  thoughtless  and  sometimes  malicious  opposi- 
tion of  their  ungodly  shipmates,  make  it  essential  almost  that  you 
should  often  be  the  subject  of  our  heartfelt  prayer  to  God.  We 
desire  to  think  of  you  as  peculiarly  open  to  the  assaults  of  the 
great  enemy  of  souls,  and  as  in  special  need  of  the  effectual 
fervent  prayers  of  those  who  have  access  to  the  throne  of  grace. 
But  we  do  not  forget  that  you  too  can  draw  near  to  the  Mercy- 
seat  in  the  name  of  the  Crucified  One,  and  that  He  who  has  said, 
*  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive,  seek  and  ye  shall  find,  knock  and  it 
shall  be  opened,'  will  give  the  necessary  grace  for  every  hour  of 
trial.  We  urge  you,  therefore,  to  'be  instant  in  season,  out  of 
season,  watching  unto  prayer.' 

"  '  Though  to  speak  thou  be  not  able. 
Always  pray  and  never  rest  : 
Prayer  's  a  weapon  for  the  feeble — 
Weakest  souls  can  wield  it  best.' 

"  Pray  much,  therefore,  in  secret.  It  is  in  the  closet  that  the 
Christian  buckles  on  his  armor  and  whets  his  weapon  for  the  con- 
flict with  his  enemies.  Read  and  meditate  daily  on  the  word  of 
God  ;  let  it  be  your  meat  and  drink  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and 
daily  ask,  '  Lord,  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  to  do .?  How  can  I 
honor  Jesus  to-day  }  How  may  1  best  manifest  my  love  to  Him  } 
How  convince  the  world  of  the  loveliness  of  Christ.?  Hov/  do 
the  most  good  ?' 

'  Daily  let  parts  of  Holy  Writ  be  read  : 
Let  as  the  body,  so  the  soul  have  bread. ' 

* '  You  cannot,  like  the  landsman,  retire  to  a  chamber  and 
shut  the  door,  but  you  can  find  a  closet  nevertheless.  '  Where 
there's  a  ^vill  there's  a  way.'  There  are  ten  thousand  avenues  to 
the  throne  of  grace,  if  we  only  possess  the  clue,  which  is  a  ready 
mind,  a  will  subdued  and  wrought  into  perfect  acquiescence  with 


REFRESHING    SCENES.  505 

the  will  of  Christ — with    this    the   maze    may  be  threaded,   the 
problem  solved,  the  difficulty  removed. 

' '  A  seaman  who  was  brought  to  acknowledge  Christ  on  board 
the  North  Carolina,  when  speaking  of  his  private  devotions,  said, 
'  I  can  always  find  a  place  to  pray  when  I  have  a  heart  to  pray. 
I  can  commune  with  God  leaning  over  the  breach  of  a  gun  ;  and 
hold  communion  with  him,  though  fifty  men  were  walking  the 
deck  at  the  same  time.'  Another,  who  is  now  almost  the 
sole  representative  of  Christ  on  board  a  man-of-war,  said  to  me, 
'  When  I  want  to  commune  with  God  alone,  I  am  never  at  fault  ; 
I  crawl  out  into  the  lee  forechains,  and  there  I  worship  him 
undisturbed.'  Another  found  a  closet  under  the  heel  of  the  bow- 
sprit, and  another  in  the  top  ;  and  still  another  in  the  bows  of  the 
launch.  Since  so  many  have  found  means  of  supplying  the  soul, 
meditate  on  Philippians  iv.  19  :  and  let  nothing  discourage  you — 
open  your  mouth  wide  and  he  will  fill  it.      In  prayer,   remember 

* '  '  Thou  art  coming  to  a  King, 
Large  petitions  with  thee  bring ; 
For  his  grace  and  power  are  such 
None  can  ever  ask  too  much.' 

"You  will  be  gratified  to  know  that  God  in  his  mercy  has 
heard  our  prayers  for  seamen,  and  that  on  board  several  of  our 
men-of-war  refreshing  scenes  have  been  witnessed,  souls  have 
been  born  again,  and  in  some  instances  backsliders  have  been 
reclaimed.  The  Spirit  has  been  poured  out  from  on  high  upon 
our  own  .church.  Our  meetings  have  been  well  attended,  and 
many  have  been  brought  to  acknowledge  Christ,  whose  lives  have 
been  previously  spent  in  the  service  of  Satan.  Some  of  these 
are  burning  and  shining  lights — faithful  warriors  for  Christ,  who 
have  carried  his  blood-stained  banner  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
enemies'  camp,  and  have  stood  by  it  with  a  wonderful  fidelity 
until  others  have  rallied  to  its  support. 

''The  principal  item  of  interest  at  this  time  is  the  work  of 
grace  which  is  silently  going  on  as  a  result,  I  believe,  of  our  daily 


506  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

morning  prayer-meeting,  which  of  late  has  numbered  over  fifty 
persons  ;  at  which,  on  one  occasion,  nineteen  rose  for  prayer. 
More  than  one  thousand  have  attended  thismeedng,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  whom  have  arisen  for  prayer.  Two  features  of  this 
service  are  worth  recording,  viz.  :  No  day  passes  without  the 
presence  of  strange  faces,  nor  is  there  a  single  meeting  in  which 
we  have  not  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  either  in  the  conviction  or  conversion  of  some  soul.  Many 
have  gone  to  sea  with  Christ  in  their  heart,  who.  before,  like 
Gallio,  cared  for  none  of  these  things.  It  has  been  far  from 
uncommon  to  have  men  rise  in  the  meeting  and  say,  '  Brothers 
and  sisters,  pray  for  me.  I  am  going  out  in  such  a  ship  alone. 
I  mean  to  stand  up  for  Jesus  in  the  forecastle,  and  try  to  bring 
some  soul  to  the  foot  of  the  cross.  Do  not  forget  me.  I  am 
weak,  and  need  your  prayers.' 

' '  The  correspondence  of  the  last  two  months  has  been  of 
unwonted  interest,  and  shows  conclusively  that  our  brethren 
afloat  are  about  their  Father's  business.  One  of  the  lieutenants 
on  board  the  Seminole,  in  a  recent  letter  to  me,  says  :  '  It  will  be 
gratifying  to  you  to  know  that  all  the  members  of  your  church 
who  are  on  board  the  Seminole  are  petty  officers — a  sure  proof 
that  even  in  the  estimation  of  the  non-religious,  men  of  consistent 
piety  are  those  upon  whom  they  can  most  surely  rely  ;  and  not,  as 
some  hold,  that  religion  unfits  a  man  for  being  a  sailor.  Of  one  of 
our  men  who  was  invalided  home,  he  says,  *  He  suffered  a  great 
deal,  but  I  never  heard  any  complaint  from  him  ;  he  was  indeed 
one  of  the  brightest  examples  of  the  joy  and  peace  granted  to  the 
true  believer  I  have  almost  ever  known.' 

"Such  testimonies,  from  men  whose  judgment  and  whose 
Christian  character  as  well  as  their  position,  give  them  authority 
to  speak,  cannot  but  be  pleasing  to  those  of  us  who  are  engaged 
in  this  blessed  work.  We  received  into  church  membership  at 
the  last  two  communions  a  total  of  51.  Of  these  seven  were 
probationers,  two  were  received  by  certificate,  and  the  remaining 
forty-two  on  a  confession  of  their  faith  in  Christ.     Since  this  year 


CHURCH    SERVICES.  507 

began,  the  work  of  the  Lord  has  commenced  in  the  Sabbath- 
school,  which  now  numbers  250  scholars.  Some  teachers  and 
some  scholars  have  united  with  the  church.  We  enter  upon  the 
New  Year  with  bright  hopes  and  firm  resolves.  Our  meetings  in 
the  church  amount  to  22  a  week,  including  the  two  sessions  of 
the  Sabbath-school,  the  Bible  classes,  and  the  morning  prayer- 
meetings  for  seamen,  from  9  to  10  o'clock,  daily.  It  may  be  said 
of  a  truth,  that  with  us — 

*The  happy  gates  of  gospel  grace 
Stand  open  night  and  day/ 

''And  in  accordance  with  His  blessed  promise,  God  is  in  the 
midst  of  us.     We  feel  in  our  hearts,  and  we  trust  that  you  can 
respond  to  the  sentiment,  '  The  Lord  hath  done  gi'eat  things  for 
us — ^we  are  glad. '     And  now,    beloved  brethren  in  the  Lord,    I 
can  truly  say,  in  the  language  of  the  great  apostle,  'Though  I  be 
absent  in  the  flesh,  yet  I  am  with  you  in  the  spirit,   joying   and 
beholding  your  order,  and  the  steadfastness  of  your  faith  in  Christ. 
As  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in 
him  ;  rooted  and  built  up  in  him,  and  stablished  in  the  faith  as 
ye  have  been  taught,  abounding  therein  with  thanksgiving.     Be- 
ware lest  any  man  spoil  you  through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit, 
'  after  the  tradition  of  men,  after  the  rudiments  of  the  world,   and 
not  after  Christ.     For  in  him  dv;elleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  God- 
head bodily  ;  and  ye  are  complete  in  him,  which  is  the  head  of  all 
principality  and  power/     Col.    ii.  5-10.      'Put  on  therefore,  as 
the  elect  of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,   kindness, 
humbleness  of  mind,   meekness,   long-suflfering ;  forbearing  one 
another  and  forgiving  one  another,  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel 
against  any.     Ev-en  as  Christ  forgave  you,   so  also  do  ye.     And 
above  all  these  things,  put  on  charity,  which  is  the  bond  of  per- 
fectness.     And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the 
which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body  ;  and  be  ye  thankful.      Let 
the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly,    in  all  wisdom,  teaching 
and  admonishing  one  another,  in  psalms,  and  hymns  and  spiritual 


508  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG  SAILORS. 

songs  ;  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord.  And 
whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word  or  deed,  do  all  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  giving  thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  by  him.' 
{Col.  iii.  12-17.) 

' '  The  brethren  and  sisters  of  our  church,  '  salute  you,  always 
laboring  fervently  for  you  in  prayers  that  ye  may  stand  perfect  and 
complete  in  all  the  will  of  God/  The  members  of  my  own 
family  unite  with  me  in  earnest  prayer  for  your  growth  in  grace, 
and  for  your  temporal  and  eternal  well-doing.  '  Brethren,  pray 
for  us.'  Hoping  to  hear  of  your  steadfastness  in  the  faith  and  of 
your  usefulness  in  Christ,  believe  me,  with  much  love  for  all  the 
brethren  in   the   Lord  of  ever)^  name, 

*'  Your  affectionate  Pastor  and  brother  in  Christ,. 

"Chas.  J.   Jones." 

"'Let  this  epistle  be  read  unto  all  the  holy  brethren." 
I  Thess.  v.  27. 

TO    A    SAILOR   BOY. 

' '  Dear  Edivard — Having  learned  through  a  friend,  that  you  are 
about  to  depart  to  the  land  of  gold — and  perhaps  with  golden 
visions  of  future  prosperity  in  the  paradise  of  the  treasure-hunter, 
I  beg  leave  to  offer  you  a  few  words  of  Christian  counsel ;  and  I 
do  this  the  more  readily,  as  your  father  is  not  at  hand  to  give 
you  that  paternal  advice  which  I  know  he  would  give  if  he  were 
near  you  at  this  time. 

' '  You  are  quite  young  to  go  forth  from  home,  and  from  the 
restraints  of  the  family,  to  make  your  own  way  through  a  world  of 
care  and  anxiety,  pain  and  sin  ;  but  not  younger  than,  nor  even 
as  young  as,  many  who  have  gained  distinction  in  their  later  years. 
Let  me  ask  you,  therefore,  as  the  pastor  and  friend  of  your  dear 
mother  now  in  heaven,  to  keep  in  mind  the  great  fact,  patent  to 
all,  that  however  we  may  be  severed  from  loved  ones  on  earth, 
there  is  one  Eye  "that  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps — one  Friend  who 
is  never  absent,  from  whom  we  cannot  conceal,  or  be  concealed. 
He  is  the  God  of  the  sea,  as  well  as  of  the  land.     He  is  every- 


LETTER   TO    A    SAILOR    BOY.  509 

where  present,  so  that,  if  you  '  take  the  wings  of  the  morning,  and 
dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  will  his  hand 
lead  you,  and  his  right  hand  hold  you. '  If  you  say,  '  darkness 
shall  cover  me  ' — even  the  night  will  be  light  round  about  you. 
'  The  darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  him.'  Do  not  be 
offended  then,  if  I  urge  upon  you  the  importance,  nay,  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  making  that  great  Being  your  Friend.  In  order 
to  do  this  it  will  be  necessary  to  set  out  with  the  purpose  to  do 
his  will  at  all  times  ;  to  be  governed  by  his  holy  law,  to  obey  his 
holy  word.  Take  the  precious  Bible  as  a  light  to  your  path,  and 
a  lamp  to  your  feet.  You  are  not  ignorant  of  its  sacred  lessons, 
having  been  taught  them  from  your  childhood.  But  it  is  not 
enough  to  know  them.  God  has  said,  'If  ye  know  these  things, 
happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them.'  '  He  that  knoweth  his  master's  will, 
and  doeth  it  not,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.'  You  can- 
not plead  ignorance  of  these  things ;  for  in  addition  to  the 
maternal  teachings  and  example,  you  have  had  the  training  of  ihe 
Sabbath-school,  and  of  the  preached  woi-d  in  the  sanctuary. 
You  are  therefore  better  off  by  far  than  those  who  have  been 
brought  up  in  ignorance  of  these  things. 

' '  You  will  need  all  this  instruction,  however,  and  all  your  own 
natural  force  of  character,  to  be  supplemented  by  the  grace  and 
favor  of  God,  if  you  would  escape  the  snares  and  temptations  that 
beset  your  way.  You  will  need  a  resolute  and  sanctiiied  purpose 
to  do  right  in  spite  of  your  surroundings.  You  will  find  a  ship's 
forecastle — as  I  have  found  it — a  poor  school  for  morals.  Yet 
that  veiy  forecastle,  and  the  careless  companions  you  will  find 
there,  cannot  prevent  the  grace  of  God  from  finding  its  way  into 
your  heart.  All  the  disadvantages  you  will  meet  with,  all  the 
difficulties  and  temptations  you  will  be  called  upon  to  overcome, 
cannot  act  as  a  barrier  to  the  favor  of  God.  He  is  no  resuecter 
of  persons,  is  confined  to  no  place,  is  limited  by  no  convention- 
alities or  customs,  is  excluded  by  no  degree  of  guilt.  He  can  aid 
you  in  the  forecastle,  amid  the  cursing  of  profane  shipmates,  and 
convey  succor  to  your  struggling  spirit,  if  you  ask  him,  as  easily 


510  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG   SAILORS. 

as  though  your  prayers  were  offered  up  in  the  groined  aisles  of  a 
cathedral,  and  amid  the  incense-breathing  strains  of  sacred  music. 
But  you  will  require  all  your  energies  intensified,  all  your  wisdom 
sharpened,  all  your  courage  sustained  by  unremitting  and  fervent 
prayer.  Go  on  board  your  vessel  then,  with  the  firm  purpose  to 
do  right,  to  give  to  all  their  due,  to  render  to  Caesar  the  things 
that  are  Caesar's  and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's ;  and  to  this 
end  be  ready  to  ask  what  is  right,  rather  than  what  is  custom — 
'  what  would  God  have  me  to  do  ?'  rather  than  what  will  men 
say  of  me.  In  a  hurried  letter  like  this,  written  without  much 
time  for  forethought  or  arrangement,  I  cannot  enter  into  the 
details  of  experience  with  which  you  will  meet,  or  give  counsel 
that  will  apply  to  every  individual  case.  But  by  laying  down  a 
few  general  principles  you  may,  by  practical  application  of  these, 
find  relief  in  almost  every  conceivable  case.  I  would  advise  you 
therefore,  to — 

ist.  Read  and  study  a  portion  of  the  Word  of  God  daily,  with 
prayer  for  divine  assistance  to  understand  and  apply  its  sacred 
precepts. 

2nd.  Determine,  at  all  hazards,  to  be  conscientiously  true 
and  just  in  all  your  dealings  with  your  fellow-men. 

3rd.  Be  respectful  to  your  officers  at  all  times,  prompt  in  your 
obedience,  faithful  to  all  trusts  or  duties  imposed  upon  you, 
always  looking  to  God  for  his  blessing. 

4th.  Be  civil  and  obliging  to  your  shipmates,  respectful  in 
your  language  to  all,  especially  to  such  as  are  old,  experienced 
seamen.  By  so  doing  you  will  make  them  your  friends,  and 
through  them  will  be  instructed  in  those  things  which  will  forward 
you  in  your  profession,  and  secure  promotion  more  rapidly  than 
bv  pursuing  an  opposite  course.  It  is  no  small  matter,  if  we 
desire  to  succeed  in  our  profession,  to  secure  the  respect  of  our 
equals,  as  well  as  our  superiors  in  rank. 

5th.  Shun  the  intoxicating  cup,  as  you  would  the  veiy  pesti- 
lence. Avoid  the  use  of  profane  language  and  all  bad  com- 
pany ;  select  the  virtuous  and  the  good  for  your  companions.      In 


LETTER   TO    A    SAILOR    BOY.  51I 

port  seek  out  the  sanctuary  of  God,  frequent  its  sacred  courts, 
and  take  your  shipmates,  if  possible,  with  you.  What  you  have 
done  for  God  will  never  cause  you  a  pang  on  your  death-bed. 

''  I  will  add  but  one  other  word,  which,  with  the  blessinsr 
of  God,  will  do  as  much  as  anything  else  to  insure  you  the 
strength  and  comfort  which  a  life  at  sea  is  capable  of  afford- 
ing. It  is  this  :  never  allow  any  one  to  go  ahead  of  you. 
Give  no  man  or  boy  a  chance  to  say  he  did  your  duty.  If  a 
royal  is  to  be  taken  in,  a  studding-sail  to  be  set — a  topsail  to  be 
reefed,  or  running  gear  to  be  rove,  make  it  a  point,  if  possible,  to 
be  first  aloft,  and  last  down  ;  and  I  will  engage  to  ensure  you 
the  good  will  of  the  whole  ship's  company,  both  forward  and  aft. 

"I  could  write  much  more,  but  I  must  not  be  prolix,  must 
not  attempt  too  much.  I  will  therefore  close  by  assuring  you 
once  more  of  my  deep  interest  in  you,  both  for  your  own,  and 
for  your  mother's  sake  ;  and  beg  of  you  to  accept  my  most  sincere 
regards  for  your  spiritual  as  well  as  your  temporal  welfare.  With 
many  prayers  for  your  safety  on  this  voyage,  for  your  success  in 
life,  and  for  your  final  salvation  in  heaven,  believe  me,  very  truly 
and  sincerely  your  friend,  Chas.  J.  Jones.  "' 

This  correspondence  often  involved  more  than  the  mere 
labor  of  writing.  Requisitions  were  frequently  made 
upon  me  to  send  out  to  our  ships-of-war,  needles  and 
thread,  stationery,  books  of  instruction,  sea-boots,  and 
other  paraphernalia  of  the  sailor's  needs.  To  all  these 
requests  I  cheerfully  acceded,  to  the  no  small  gratification 
of  those  who  made  them.  These  kind  ofifices  led  to  the 
enhanced  appreciation  of  the  counsels  and  warnings  I  was 
constantly  sending  them,  and  to  a  larger  circulation  of 
the  instruction  the  epistles  contained.  For  they  were 
by  no  means  limited  in  the  range  of  their  influence  to 
the  persons  to  whom  they  were  addressed,  but  were  often 
read  by  every  oflficer,  as  well  as  by  almost  every  man  in 


512  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS, 

the  ship.  Many  would  read  a  letter  and  become  Inter- 
ested in  the  teachings  it  conveyed,  who  would  not  so 
much  as  look  at  a  tract.  Sometimes  they  passed 
from  ship  to  ship,  until  they  were  actually  worn  out  by 
use.  Some  of  these  have  called  forth  the  most  gratifying 
encomiums  on  their  value  to  those  who  received  them. 
They  declare  that  they  were  both  encouraging  and 
stimulating,  urging  them  to  faithfulness  in  duty,  to  pa- 
tience in  suffering,  and  to  continued  perseverance  in  well- 
doing. One  who  had  long  enjoyed  my  communications, 
wrote  mc : 

' '  Your  kind  and  truly  Christian  letters  are  always  welcome  and 
highly  esteemed — especially  so,  as  you,  by  God's  grace,  have 
been  instrumental  in  bringing  me  from  the  paths  of  sin  and  folly, 
to  true  happiness  and  God.  I  can  truly  say  that  they  have  been 
a  great  comfort  to  me,  and  to  all  other  Christian  men  and  officers, 
with  whom  I  have  sailed  in  different  ships.  It  would  be  scarcely 
possible  to  over-estimate  their  value  to  sailors  who  are  trying  to 
lead  Christian  lives  on  board  ships  at  sea.  No  man  needs  kind 
counsel  more  than  a  religious  sailor,  who  is  often  shut  up  for  years 
together  with  wicked  and  impious  men,  whose  fierce  opposition 
and  bad  example  tends  to  pluck  up  and  destroy  the  good  seed 
sown  in  the  heart." 

Another  writes  :  ''I  thank  you  for  your  beautiful  letter.  I  can 
assure  you  that  your  correspondence  with  seafaring  men  is  one 
of  the  greatest  blessings  that  God  has  bestowed  on  us  outside  his 
own  revelation." 

Still  another  :  ''Your  Pastoral  letter  came  to  me  yesterday,  as 
a  messenger  from  above,  to  cheer  my  drooping  spirits  ;  bidding 
me  not  despair,  but  to  look  aloft  to  the  Giver  of  victories  of  all 
kinds — over  self  or  enemies — to  them  that  love  Him. " 

These  testimonies  might  be  indefinitely  increased. 
But  this  will  suffice.     In  the  spring  of  1863,  my  con- 


RESIGNATION.  513 

nection  with  the  Manners'  church  under  the  care  of  the 
Port  Society,  was  dissolved.  Eight  years  and  a  half  of 
unremitted  work, — during  the  whole  of  which  I  was 
never  absent  from  my  pulpit  for  any  cause  for  more 
than  two  consecutive  Sabbaths, — and  that  occurred  but 
twice — broke  down  my  health  entirely.  My  physician 
assured  me  that  a  rest  of  some  months  was  essential,  if 
I  desired  or  hoped  to  continue  my  ministry.  An  appli- 
cation was  therefore  made  to  the  New  York  Port  Society 
at  its  meeting  in  April,  for  permission  to  be  absent  from 
my  pulpit  for  three  months.  This  request  was  cheerfully 
and  unanimously  granted  by  the  Board.  I  immediately 
set  about  making  preparations  for  my  journey.  But  on 
the  7th  of  April  I  received  a  note  from  the  Trustees  of 
the  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  on  Staten  Island,  stating  that  I 
had  been  unanimously  elected  to  the  chaplaincy  of  that 
Institution.  As  I  was  not  an  applicant  for  that  position, 
and  had  been  elected  without  seeking  it,  it  appeared  to 
me  the  call  of  Divine  Providence.  After  making  it  a 
matter  of  prayer,  therefore,  and  consulting  my  most 
judicious  friends,  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  accept  the 
call,  and  notified  the  Trustees  to  that  effect.  My  next 
duty  was  to  acquaint  the  Port  Society  with  my  accept- 
ance, and  to  tender  to  them  my  resignation,  which  I  did 
in  the  following  words  : 

' '  New  York,  April  ijth,  1863. 
' '  To  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Port  Society  : 
' '  Gentleinen — Having  unexpectedly,  and  without  seeking  it, 
received  a  unanimous  call  from  the  Trustees  of  the  Sailors'  Snug 
Harbor  on  Staten  Island  to  the  chaplaincy  of  that  institution, 
after  prayerful  consideration,  and  consultation  with  my  most 
judicious  friends,  I  concluded  that  it  was  my  duty  to  accept  it 
33 


514  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

as  the  call  of  Divine  Providence.  I  therefore  beg  leave  to  tender 
to  )-ou  my  resignation  of  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Mariners' 
church  under  your  direction.  And  in  so  doing,  permit  me  to 
express  my  sincere  gratitude  to  the  Board  for  all  the  kindnesses 
experienced  at  their  hands. 

"Thanking  God  for  the  pleasant  intercourse  that  has  existed 
between  us  for  the  last  eight  years  and  a  half,  and  praying  that  h^ 
will  continue  to  sustain  you  in  your  support  of  the  Mariners' 
church,  believe  me  very  truly  and  respectfully  yours, 

"Chas.    J.    JOXES." 

In  reply  to  the  above  I  received,  while  in  London,  the 
following  letter  and  resolutions : 

''Directors'  Rooms  of  the  Society  for  Promoting  the 
Gospel  among  Seamen  in  the  Port  of  New  York 
(Port  Society)  72  IMadison  Street. 

New  Fork,  April  22nd,  1863. 
^^ Rev.    Chas.  J.  Jones,    London — Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of 
resignation  of  the  pastoral  charge  of  our  Mariners'  church,   dated 
the  13th  instant,  was  read  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  at  a  special 
meeting  held  this  afternoon,  and  accepted  by  them. 

"The  separation  of  the  tie  that  has  bound  us  together  .for  so 
many  years  is  painful  to  us,  but  as  it  is  the  Lord's  will,  we  are 
satisfied,  and  trust  that  he  will  continue  to  smile  on  our  joint 
labors,  although  in  separate  fields. 

You  bear  with  you  our  affection  and  esteem,  and  our  prayers 
will  follow  you.      ' '  Yours  in  Christ  Jesus, 

"William  D.  Harris, 

''Cor.  Sec.  Port  Society:' 

''New  York,  May  14th,  1863. 

"Rev.  Chas.  J.  Jones  :  Dear  Sir — I  have  much  pleasure  in 
waiting  upon  you  with  the  annexed  copy  of  the  report  of  the 
Committee,  and  its  adoption  by  our  Board. 

"  Yours  in  Christ,     W.  D.  Harris,  Cor.  Sec.  Port  Society.'' 


^RESOLUTIONS   OF    PORT    SOCIETY.  515 

''The  Committee  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of 
the  Port  Society's  estimate  of  the  services  of  the  Rev.  Chas.  J. 
Jones,  respectfully  report  the  following  : 

'"Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  withdrawal  of  Rev.  Charles  J. 
Jones,  from  the  Pastorate  of  the  Mariners'  church,  after  a  faithful 
service  of  more  than  eight  years,  to  accept  the  chaplaincy  of  the 
Sailors'  Snug  Harbor,  this  Board  feels  called  upon  to  express  its 
high  appreciation  of  the  zeal,  energy,  fidelity,  and  general  accept- 
ability with  which  Mr.  Jones  has  performed  the  duties  of  his 
office,  and  their  sense  of  the  loss  they  sustain  in  parting  with  one 
whose  labors  have  been  so  abundantly,  so  constantly,  and  so 
signally  blessed  of  God. 

"■  Resolved,  That  as  requested,  the  prayers  of  this  Board  shall 
follow  Mr.  Jones  during  his  absence  in  foreign  lands ;  and  it  is 
our  earnest  hope  that  he  may  be  so  renewed  in  body  and  mind 
by  his  trip,  as  to  be  fitted  for  even  greater  usefulness  in  the  new 
sphere  of  labor  to  which  we  trust  God  has  called  him. 

^'Resolved,  That  the  Board  recognize  in  the  good  fruits  attend- 
ant on  the  ministr}^  of  Mr.  Jones,  while  in  its  employment,  and  in 
the  general  cordiality  and  co-operation  existing,  reason  for  pro- 
found gratitude  to  God. 

' '  Resolved,  That  the  Corresponding  Secretary  transmit  a  copy 
of  these  Resolutions  to  Rev.  Mr.  Jones. 

''New  Fork,  May  ilth,  1863" 

To  these  very  acceptable  documents  I  responded  as 
follows  : 

' '  East  London,  June  lolh,  1863. 
''Mr.  W.  D.  Harris,  Cor.  Sec.  N.  Y.  Port  Society  : 
''Dear  Brother  in  Christ — I  have  inexpressible  pleasure  in 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  Resolutions  passed  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Port  Society,  on  the  22nd 
of  April  and  the  eleventh  of  May,  respectively ;  the  one  accept- 
ing my  resignation,  and  the  other  expressive  of  the  estimate  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Board  had  formed  of  my  sen-ices  while  Pastor 


5l6  FIFTY    YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

of  the  ^Mariners'  church.  In  reply,  you  will  permit  me,  through 
you,  to  tender  to  the  Board  my  sincere  and  grateful  appreciation 
of  their  expressions  of  good  will,  and  of  their  satisfaction  with  the 
manner  in  which  the  duties  of  the  pastorate  have  been  performed. 
The  gracious  results,  which,  under  God,  have  followed  those 
labors,  and  which  they  have  so  kindly  referred  to  in  the  Resolu- 
tions, are  due  alone  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  whom,  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  be  all  the  glory. 

"  Permit  me,  also,  to  reciprocate  all  their  kind  feelings,  and 
all  the  fervent  prayers  with  which  they  are  following  me  in  my 
absence,  and  also  to  assure  them  that  I  shall  ever  esteem  as  the 
happiest  portion  of  my  ministry,  that  period  in  which  I  was 
associated  with  and  assisted  by  the  New  York  Port  Society.  For 
all  their  kind  forbearance,  for  all  their  hearty  co-operation,  for  all 
their  Christian  sympathy,  and  for  their  long  continued  and 
unwavering  attachment  to  the  blessed  work  in  which  we  were 
jointly  engaged,  as  well  as  for  all  the  acts  of  personal  kindness  I 
have  experienced  at  their  hands,  I  beg  them  once  more  to  accept 
my  unfeigned  thankfulness,  together  with  the  assurance  that  my 
unceasing  prayers  for  the  Divine  blessing  to  rest  upon  the  New 
York  Port  Society,  and  upon  the  New  York  Mariners'  church, 
which  they  have  so  long  and  so  faithfully  sustained,  shall  daily 
ascend  to  that  God  who  has  with  so  much  condescension  associa- 
ted the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  and  the  building 
up  of  his  glory  among  the  nations,  with  the  conversion  of  the 
**  abundance  of  the  sea." 

"  Praying  that  God  may  long  spare  you  to  aid  the  church  with 
your  labors,  your  counsels  and  your  prayers — believe  me,  very 
affectionately  and  fraternally,  yours  in  Christ  Jesus. 

"  Chas.  J.  Jones." 

On  my  return  from  Europe,  In  July,  I  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  my  new  field  as  chaplain  of  the  Sailors'  Snug 
Harbor,  where  I  have  labored  for  more  than  twenty  years; 
and  having  obtained  help  of  God,  continue  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

TESTIMONIES   AND    PASTORAL   LETTERS. 

Close  of  narrative — Marvellous  changes — One  roll  in  the  gutter — Prodi- 
gals provident — New  aspirations — Rapid  promotion — Report  of  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy — Piety  appreciated — Testimony  of  Naval  officers — 
A  crucial  test — Under  fire — God  on  our  side — "  Hitherto,  and  no  fur- 
ther"— Hand  of  God  acknowledged — "Iron  hearts  win" — Results, 
known  and  unknown — Glory  to  God  in  Christ.     Amen. 

It  is  time  to  draw  this  narrative  to  a  close.  Not  that 
the  ground  is  fairly  covered  and  the  work  fully  detailed, 
nor  because  material  and  important  facts  are  wanting  to 
edify  and  instruct,  as  well  as  to  claim  and  hold  the  in- 
terest of  the  reader ;  but  simply  for  want  of  space  to 
record  individual  instances  of  devotion,  and  the  mani- 
fest influence  of  the  Spirit  of  grace  on  the  hearts  of 
earnest,  indefatigable  and  heroic,  though  humble  and 
unlettered  men,  who  were,  in  hundreds  of  instances, 
turned  from  darkness  unto  light,  and  from  the  bondage 
of  Satan,  to  the  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God. 

This  holy  influence  was  felt  and  exhibited,  not  only 
in  its  effects  upon  the  heart  and  conscience,  in  bringing 
out  the  higher  moral  traits  of  character,  developing 
faith  in  the  formerly  faithless,  and  homage  toward  God, 
where  there  had  been  the  most  callous  unconcern  foVy 
if  not  the  most  blasphemous  opposition  to,  all  things 
and     persons,    sacred     and    divine;    but   in    stimulating 

51? 


5l8  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

the  physical  and  the  intellectual  *'  pari  passu,"  with  the 
spiritual.  Not  only  were  the  impatient  made  enduring, 
the  tempestuous  calm,  the  irresolute  firm,  and  the  weak 
strong,  but  the  careless  became  tidy,  the  riotous  quiet, 
and  the  intemperate  sober.  Lewd  songs  and  conversa- 
tion gave  place  to  hymns  of  praise  and  purity  of  speech. 
Even  among  the  unconverted  these  things  were  noticed 
in  no  small  degree.  Such  was  the  indirect  power  of 
good  example.  Men  who  had  been  profligate  with 
their  earnings,  spending  their  money  for  that  which  is 
not  bread,  who  labored  sometimes  through  an  entire 
cruise  of  three  years  for  ''  one  roll  in  the  gutter,"  lavish 
of  their  means  and  careless  of  themselves,  began  to  save, 
to  look  toward  the  future,  with  thought  of  coming 
needs  Wayward  sons  who  had  wandered  the  earth 
and  seas  over,  wasting  their  substance  in  riotous  living 
for  years,  dead  in  reality  to  family  ties  and  affections, 
without  communication  with  home  and  loved  ones,  were 
suddenly  filled  with  regret  and  shame  for  past  miscon- 
duct, and  gave  evidence  of  returning  reason,  not  only 
by  writing  to  their  parents,  but  by  forwarding  to  them 
substantial  proof  of  their  fihal  affection.  Husbands  and 
fathers,  long  since  given  up  as  dead,  resumed  correspond- 
ence with  wives  and  children  long  neglected,  and 
became,  once  more,  provident  and  thoughtful  for  the 
dear  ones. 

In  many,  many  instances,  it  was  my  happy  privilege  to 
become  the  bearer  of  the  glad  tidings,  that  the  dead  were 
"  alive  again  "  "  the  lost  found ;"  and  to  open  up  once 
more  channels  of  communication  which  had  been  consi- 
dered as  closed  forever.  Half-pay  checks  and  drafts  on 
banking-houses    having     correspondents    with    foreign 


NEW   ASPIRATIONS.  519 

lands  became  current  and  monthly  events.  In  short, 
**  old  things,"  with  these  restored  ocean  wanderers,  had 
"  passed  away"  ;  behold,  *'  all  things  had  become  new." 
There  was,  too,  a  marked  tendency  towards  self-respect, 
and  a  desire  to  rise  in  their  profession  ;  a  longing  for  ed- 
ucation and  social  elevation.  The  filthy  and  riotous  as- 
sociations of  the  rum  boarding-house  and  the  blood- suck- 
ing landlord  had  lost  their  charm.  Men  who  had  never 
before  any  idea  of  becoming  anything  but  denizens  of  the 
forecastle,  whose  aspirations,  if  they  had  ever  had  any, 
were  kept  down  by  the  force  of  appetite  and  passion, 
or  by  want  of  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  their  own 
abilities,  were  seized  with  an  ardent  desire  to  better  their 
condition.  Schools  of  navigation  were  sought  out. 
Books  were  purchased  with  the  purpose  of  cultivating 
the  mind. 

The  opening  of  the  RebeUion,  in  1861,  afforded  a  field 
for  the  exercise  of  the  best  powers  of  all  in  whose  bo- 
soms the  fires  of  ambition  were  not  entirely  extinguished  ; 
and  the  excitements  it  created  gave  the  needed  stimulus. 
One  lady  in  New  York,  a  teacher  of  navigation,  now  my 
devoted  wife,  prepared  hundreds  of  these  young  men  for 
their  positions  on  the  quarter-deck  of  our  men-of-war, 
many  of  whom  were  afterwards  commended  for  their 
coolness  and  bravery  in  the  hour  of  battle.  Many  of 
these  are  yet  in  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  to 
which  they  were  elevated  by  a  grateful  Government  at 
the  close  of  the  war. 

In  corroboration  of  this  statement,  I  may  quote  here 
the  words  of  Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  U.  S. 
Navy,  who  on  page  xiii.  of  his  Report  to  Congress,  in 
1865,  speaks  of  the  faithfulness  and  efiiciency  of  our  vol- 


520  FIFTY  YEARS  AMONG   SAILORS. 

unteer  officers,  many  of  whom  rose  to  their  positions  of 
trust  from  before  the  mast,  as  follows : 

**  Three  hundred  and  twenty-two  (322)  officers  traitorously 
abandoned  the  service  to  which  they  had  dedicated  their  lives, 
proved  false  to  the  flag  which  they  had  sworn  to  support,  and  to 
the  government  which  had  confided  in  their  honor  and  relied  on 
their  fidelity  to  sustain  it  in  conflict  and  peril.  The  embarrass- 
ment caused  by  these  desertions  in  the  moment  of  trial  was 
temporary.  Better  men  from  the  merchant  marine,  educated, 
and  vastly  more  efficient,  promptly  volunteered  their  services,  in 
many  instances  at  great  pecuniary  sacrifice,  to  fight  the  battles  of 
the  Union.  About  seven  thousand  five  hundred  of  these  gallant 
and  generous  spirits,  have,  after  examination,  received  appoint- 
ments and  been  employed  in  the  navy. 

**  Schools  were  established  to  instruct  and  perfect  them  in  the 
rudiments  of  gunnery  and  nautical  routine,  and  it  is  due  to 
them  to  say  that  they  have  acquitted  themselves  with  credit  and 
served  with  zeal  and  fidelity.  The  intercourse  between  these 
volunteer  officers  and  the  officers  of  the  regular  navy  has  been 
productive  of  mutual  good-will  and  respect.  It  will,  I  trust,  lead 
to  lasting  personal  friendships  and  ensure  enduring  intimacy  be- 
tween the  commercial  and  naval  services.  Most  of  the  volunteer 
officers  have  received  an  honorable  discharge  and  returned  to 
their  peaceful  professional  pursuits.  I  take  this  occasion  to 
renew  my  annual  suggestion,  that  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  these  heroic  and  loyal  men,  of  admitted  capability  and  merit, 
who  have  served  the  country  so  faithfully  and  so  well,  be  added 
to  the  navy  after  an  examination  by  a  board  of  officers,  appointed 
for  that  purpose.  Such  an  addition  to  the  navy,  of  brave  and 
intelligent  representatives  from  the  commercial  marine,  will  be  a 
fitting  and  honorable  recognition  of  the  services  of  a  body  of  men 
who  came  gallantly  forward  in  a  period  of  national  peril  to  sus- 
tain the  cause  of  their  country." 

The  instances  in  which  the  force  of  character  was  inten- 


TESTIMONY   OF  NAVAL   OFFICERS.  521 

sified  and  improved  and  sustained  by  the  teachings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  are  too  numerous  to  mention.  It  was  by 
no  means  uncommon  for  officers  of  vessels  to  write  to  me, 
in  praise  of  the  conduct  of  Christian  men,  on  board  their 
respective  ships.  These  men,  generally,  were  placed  in 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  by  their  officers; 
and  by  their  faithfulness  to  duty  called  forth  the  enco- 
miums of  those  who  knew  and  appreciated  tlieir  value. 
One  naval  officer  wrote  me  : 

'  *  It  will  be  gratifying  to  you  to  know  that  all  the  members  of 
your  church  on  board  this  ship  are  petty  officers — a  sure  proof, 
that  even  in  the  estimation  of  the  non-religious,  men  of  consistent 
piety,  are  those  upon  whom  they  can  most  surely  rely  ;  and  that 
it  is  not  true,  as  some  affirm,  that  religion  unfits  a  man  for '  the 
duties  of  a  sailor." 

Again,  a  lieutenant,  himself  a  man  of  God,  wrote  me 
of  the  ten  Christian  men  on  board  his  vessel,  the  U.  S. 
steamer  Seminole,  in  July,  i860  : 

*■ '  I  feel  with  you  that  it  is  indeed  a  privilege  to  sail  with  a 
portion  of  our  crew  who  are  seeking  a  '  better  country.'  We 
have  had  far  less  trouble  with  the  men  of  this  ship,  than  I  have 
ever  known  in  an  experience  of  twent)'  years  ;  and  I  think  it  is 
due  in  no  inconsiderable  degree,  to  the  influence  of  the  Christian 
sailors  on  the  berth-deck.  May  they  be  strengthened  to  con- 
tinue their  labor  of  love,  until  its  joyous  influence  shall  extend 
from  the  forecastle  to  the  cabin  of  every  ship  that  floats." 

These  testimonies  to  the  good  qualities  of  Christian  sea- 
men, and  their  influence  upon  their  shipmates,  may  be 
profitably  followed  by  their  own  attestation  to  the  value 
of  godliness,  as  it  bears  upon  "  the  life  that  now  is,"  as 
well  as  on  that  "  which  is  to  come."     This  much  will  ap- 


522  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG  SAILORS. 

pear  to  be  patent,  at  least,  they  themselves  being  the  wit- 
nesses— viz.,  that,  other  things  being  equal,  the  sailor  who 
who  is  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  is  none  the  less 
fitted  to  grapple  with  the  difficulties  incident  to  his  call- 
ing, nor  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  his  daily  and  varying 
experiences.  In  the  hurtling  rain  of  shot  and  shell  in 
battle,  or  in  conflict  with  the  elements  of  Nature,  he  is 
equally  at  home,  and  is  the  peer  of  the  unbeliever.  To 
steer  his  trick  or  to  storm  a  battery,  is  all  one  to  him. 
He  is  as  calm  and  collected  under  fire  as  he  is  tenacious 
and  persevering  when  lugging  at  the  reef-earing  on  a 
yard-arm,  in  a  gale  of  wind.  Serving  the  gun  on  the 
deck  of  his  own  ship,  or  on  howitzer  duty  ashore,  he  is 
as  brave,  submissive  and  obedient  to  orders  as  any  of  his 
unconverted  shipmates.  In  fact,  he  loses  none  of  the 
characteristics  and  qualifications  of  a  true  sailor  by  becom- 
ing a  man  of  God.  This  is  a  lozu  view  to  take  of  his  at- 
tainments, I  admit.  Yet,  after  all,  it  is,  virtually,  assent- 
ing to  the  statement  of  Young,  that,  in  whatever  station  of 
life,  at  sea  or  ashore : 

'*  The  Christian  is  the  highest  style  of  man." 

The  proof  in  this  case  must  be  derived  from  a  compari- 
son of  their  conduct  with  that  of  their  shipmates  in  try- 
ing circumstances.  A  crucial  test  may  be  found  in  their 
deportment  under  an  enemy's  fire.  I  therefore  subscribe 
their  own  statements  on  such  occasions.  A  member  of 
my  own  church  wrote  me,  in  October,  1861  : 

'  *  On  Wednesday  last  we  were  ordered  to  open  fire  on  a  sand 
fort  at  Freestone  Point.  The  fire  was  speedily  returned.  It  was 
then  that  I  felt  where  my  strength  lay.  Oh,  were  there  ever  such 
happy  moments  as  I  then  enjoyed  !    Oh,  how  resigned  I  felt  to 


GOD    ON    OUR    SIDE.  523 

my  Father's  will  when  the  shots  of  the  enemy  came  flying  thick 
and  fast  around  us  !  I  felt  that  my  Saviour  was  near  me.  It  is 
in  such  trying  seasons  that  one  feels  it  a  glorious  thing  to  be 
a  child  of  God." 

Another,  also  a  member  of  the  Mariners'  church,  in  a 
letter  from  Warsaw  Inlet,  says : 

''Our  vessels,  with  others  of  the  Blockading  Squadron,  attack- 
ed a  strong  shore  battery.  We  were  constantly  under  fire  from 
eleven- inch  shell  and  shot.  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  God  to  me  and  those  around  me  in  that  hour  of 
trial.  How  good  it  is  to  'abide  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty  !'  He  has  shielded  me,  and  kept  me  from  all  fear  and 
doubt.  He  has  covered  my  head  in  the  day  of  battle.  When  shot 
were  falling  and  shell  were  bursting  all  around  us,  the  blessed 
promises  of  the  91st  Psalm  gave  me  great  comfort.  I  felt  safe  in 
my  Saviour's  love,  whatever  the  dispensations  of  his  righteous 
providence  might  be." 

Still  another,  after  the  passage  of  Forts  Jackson  and 
St.  Philip,  wrote : 

* '  My  Dear  Pastor — I  have  never  before  been  under  an  enemy's 
fire.  I  felt  a  little  timid.  But  I  prayed  to  God  to  be  with  us  ; 
for  He  alone,  at  such  a  time,  can  save  from  harm.  I  prayed  that 
he  would  protect  me,  if  it  was  his  most  gracious  will,  and  that  if  I 
fell  he  would  take  me  to  himself  After  the  enemy  surrendered, 
there  was  some  shaking  of  hands  and  blessing  of  God,  and  thank- 
ing him,  among  our  men  for  his  great  protection  of  our  lives.  I 
never  shall  forget  that  morning.  1  wish  you  to  pray  to  our 
Father  in  heaven,  that  my  life,  which  he  saved  then,  may  be 
spent  in  his  ser\dce  and  to  his  praise." 

From  another  vessel,  in  the  same  fight,  one  of  our 
brethren  says  : 

"  I  told  my  shipmates,  that  God  was  on  our  side,  as  there  has 


524  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG   SAILORS. 

always  been  a  right  and  wrong  in  these  contending  questions. 
I  therefore  went  into  battle  without  fear.  After  we  ran  the 
gauntlet  that  morning  of  the  24th  of  April,  it  would  have  done 
your  heart  good  to  have  seen  my  shipmates  return  thanks  to 
Almighty  God  that  blessed  morning  for  our  happy  deliverance, 
and  for  our  glorious  victory." 

Yet  one  more,  gave  his  experience  thus : 

' '  You  know  already  the  exciting  and  dangerous  scenes  through 
which  we  have  passed,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  unharmed.  Oh, 
my  dear  Pastor,  if  ever  religion  is  good  for  a  man,  it  is  when  shot 
and  shell  like  hail  are  falling  around  him.  During  the  bom- 
bardment of  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  I  was  able  to  see  the 
meaning  of  the  words  :  '  Hitherto  shali  thou  come,  and  no  further.' 
The  next  vessel  to  me  was  sunk.  Several  shots  passed  over,  and 
around  us,  between  the  rigging  and  masts ;  shells  exploded 
directly  over  our  heads,  falling  on  all  sides,  but  not  one  single 
piece  was  allowed  to  come  on  board.  Some  may  say,  '  It  was  all 
chance ;'  but  I  say  it  was  the  hand  of  Almighty  God.  We  are 
soon  again  to  enter  battle.  We  are  now  on  our  way  to  Vicks- 
burg.  W^e  expect  warm  work  ;  but  with  our  trust  in  God,  we 
hope  to  conquer.  We  believe  our  cause  is  just,  and  if  need  be, 
hundreds  of  us  are  willing  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  it.  I  ask  the 
prayers  of  my  beloved  church,  that  I  may  be  found  faithful  to 
my  God,  to  my  family,  and  to  my  country  ;  that  I  may  do  my 
duty  well,  and  if  our  Heavenly  Father  sees  fit  to  call  me,  I  shall 
be  ready  to  go." 

This  good  brother's  after  career  In  the  Yazoo,  Arkan- 
sas and  Red  River  expeditions,  was  distinguished  by- 
deeds  of  bravery  which  were  not  often  excelled  during 
the  Avar.  Surely  these  are  the  men  to  illustrate  the 
words  of  the  now  glorified  Christian  Admiral,  Andrew 
H.  Foote — who,  in  Mobile  Bay,  when  his  wooden  ships 


"IRON    HEARTS   WIN."  525 

were  menaced  with  destruction,  infused  fresh  courage  into 
his  brave  men  by  saying, 

**  It  is  not  the  iron  clads,  boys, 
But  the  iron  hearts  that  wm." 

These  are  but  samples;  yet  are  characteristic  of  the 
whole. 

I  have  not  mentioned  by  name  one-tenth  of  the  vessels- 
of-war  and  the  numerous  merchantmen,  with  which  I 
have  been  in  correspondence,  nor  can  I  do  so.  I  must 
content  myself  with  a  brief  resume  of  the  efforts  put  forth, 
and  leave  to  the  imagination  of  the  reader  the  results 
which  might  be  expected  to  follow.  On  board  two  hun- 
dred and  eight  men-of-war,  my  correspondents  num- 
bered from  one  to  seventeen,  an  average  of  two  to  each 
vessel.  In  one  hundred  and  fifty- seven  of  these,  tlie  cause 
of  Christ  was  represented  by  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  Christian  men.  On  board  of  one  hundred  and  three 
of  them  members  of  my  own  church  assumed  the  labor- 
ing oar.  In  thirty-six  of  them  prayer  and  rehgious  meet- 
ings were  sustained,  with  few  exceptions,  and  with  more 
or  less  regularity  by  the  fore-mast  men.  Of  the  whole 
number  only  seven  were  provided  with  chaplains.  These 
were  the  Colorado,  Cumberland,  Hartford,  Lancaster, 
Niagara,  Roanoke  and  Wabash. 

The  precious  revival  among  the  men  of  the  sea,  as  far 
as  the  Mariners'  church  was  concerned,  continued  up  to 
the  time  of  my  resignation,  in  April,  1863;  the  services 
averaging  nearly  twenty  a  week.  A  register  of  the  names 
of  those  who  visited  the  church  and  parsonage  was  kept,  in 
which  was  recorded,  not  only  the  name,  age  and  nation- 
ahty  of  each  man,  but  also  that  of  the  vessel  in  which  and 


526  FIFTY   YEARS   AMONG    SAILORS. 

the  port  to  which  he  was  to  sail.  As  a  consequence  of 
this  the  sailor  often  found  on  his  arrival  in  a  foreign  land 
a  letter  addressed  to  him,  filled  with  good  counsel  and 
sympathy,  and  assuring  him  that  he  was  held  in  pre- 
cious remembrance  by  his  friends  ashore.  These  missives 
of  love  were  generally  answered  by  the  sailor  at  once, 
convincing  us  that  good  was  accomplished  which  the 
preached  word  had  failed  to  secure.  An  idea  of  the 
extent  to  which  this  feature  of  the  work  was  carried,  may 
be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  during  my  pastorate,  six 
thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty- four  letters  were  thus 
written ;  each  containing  some  little  tract  or  leaflet, 
adapted,  in  most  cases,  to  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
recipient,  when  that  was  known.  The  responses  to  these 
communications,  always  full  of  grateful  appreciation,  were 
often  as  numerous  as  those  which  were  sent.  In  one 
year  letters  came  to  me  from  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  different  points  on  the  earth's  surface,  including 
Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  America,  Australia,  and  the  Isles 
of  almost  every  sea. 

In  addition  to  these  transient  epistles,  which  were 
sent  out,  sometimes  more  than  a  thousand  a  year,  I 
wrote  for  several  years  an  occasional  pastoral  letter, 
which  was  Hthographed,  and  the  fac  simile  sent  to  each 
sea- going  member  of  the  church,  in  whatever  part  of  the 
world  he  might  happen  to  be.  In  this  way  a  reciprocity 
of  feeling  and  of  interest  was  kept  up  between  pastor  and 
people.  Extracts  from  the  letters  received  w^ere  read  at 
our  monthly  concert  of  prayer,  which  resulted  in  the 
edification  of  the  hearers,  and  tended  to  enlarge  the  in- 
fluence of  the  church.  The  result  of  these  agencies  and 
instrumentalities,  sanctified  as  they  were  by  the  word  of 


RESULTS,    KNOWN    AND    UNKNOWN.  527 

God  and  by  prayer,  through  the  Holy  Spirit,  cannot  be 
approximated.  Until  the  judgment  is  set  and  the  books 
are  opened,  and  the  sea  shall  give  up  the  dead  that 
are  in  it,  their  full  value  will  never  be  known.  Some 
of  the  results  we  do  know,  because  they  have  beer 
recorded. 

In  the  Registry  kept  during  my  connection  with  the 
church  there  were  enrolled  names  of  more  than  one  thou- 
sand souls  who,  in  the  judgment  of  Christian  charity, 
were  believed  to  have  been  hopefully  converted  through 
this  agency.  Of  these,  more  than  two-thirds  were  sea- 
men. During  those  eight  years  and  a  half  I  delivered 
over  seventeen  hundred  sermons  and  addresses ;  wrote 
one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  articles  for  the  press,  and 
had  personal  religious  conversation  with  twelve  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-two  seamen,  with  a  large 
majority  of  whom  1  bowed  in  prayer.  More  than  twenty 
thousand  persons  called  on  me  on  official  business.  I 
gave  away  judiciously,  six  thousand  five  hundred  and 
eighty-four  volumes  of  religious  reading  matter ;  scatter- 
ed milUons  of  pages  of  tracts  and  religious  periodicals ; 
made  over  four  thousand  visits  to  ships,  boarding-houses 
and  families ;  baptized  six  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
children  and  adults,  and  received  into  communion  with 
the  church,  seven  hundred  and  sixty  souls.  Three- 
fourths  of  this  number  were  admitted  on  a  confession  of 
their  faith  ;  two-thirds  were  men  of  the  sea. 

The  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  monthly ;  and 
during  the  seven  years  of  our  church  organization,  but 
one  communion  season  went  by  without  our  receiving 
from  three  to  sixty  souls.  The  seamen  with  whom  I  had 
pastoral  intercourse  represented  almost  every  nationality 


528  FIFTY    YEARS    AMONG    SAILORS. 

known  to  commerce,  and  spoke  some  sixty  different  lan- 
guages and  dialects.  Of  the  hundreds  who  were  known 
to  have  gone  to  sea  pricked  in  their  hearts,  many  never 
returned  to  us  to  speak  of  the  results  of  their  convictions; 
some  in  all  probability  have  found  a  resting-place  in  other 
churches  and  in  other  lands,  and  have  enriched  with  their 
religious  experience,  distant  fields  of  Christian  efforts. 
Many  doubtless  went  down  at  sea. 

It  is  pleasing  to  know  that  the  old  church  still  lives,  is 
still  operative  of  good,  redolent  of  deeds  of  mercy  and 
love,  and  that  souls  are  weekly  born  into  the  kingdom 
through  the  tireless  labors  of  her  faithful  pastor.  Rev.  E. 
D.  Murphy,  and  his  effective  corps  of  missionary  helpers. 
May  she  continue  to  be  a  fruitful  bough — and,  like  Joseph, 
may  the  arms  of  her  hands  be  made  strong  by  the  hands 
of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob.  And  to  our  covenant  God 
be  all  tlie  glory,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 


INDEX 


Academic  Studies,  73 

Academy  at  Woodbridge,  130 

Adams,  Rev.  Wm.,  D.D.,  193,  333 
Ambassador  for  Christ,  An,  65 

Always  with  me,  488 

All  aboard,  152 

Awakening,  A  blessed,  2CXD,  267 
Accessions,  Large,  324 

Adelaide,  Port,  26 

"After  many  days,"  77,  179 

"  Acteon,"  11. 13.  M.  S.,  Captain 

of,  481 

Allegiance,  Steadfast,  176 

Alexander,  Rev.  Jas.  W.,  D.D.,  97 
Address  to  Princeton  Students,  332 
Address,  Cooper  Institute,  333 

Anderson,  Chas.  M.,  211 

Anecdote  of  F.  Marshall,  424 

Answer,  The  missionary's,  185 

Apeak,  My  ensign,  55 

Asleep  in  Jesu<;,  176 

Aweigh  for  London,  152 

Arrested  by  Divine  Mercy,  487 

Army,  Carrying  Christ  into  the  451 
Accident,  A  serious,  108 

African  Squadron,  The,  456 

April  27th,  1859,  334,  338,  340, 

474,  493 
Articles  of  War,  20 

A^ronies  of  guilt,  48 

Auspicious  beginning,  200 

Australia,  Ship  again  for  26 

Ascutney,  U.  S.  §.,  453 

Allured  by  a  life  of  love,  482 

Allured  from  haunts  of  sin,  195 

Assurance,   Full,  453 

Auxiliary  Volunteers,  195 

Babe  in  Christ,  A,  148 

Babes,  One  of  Christ's,  187 

34 


Barque  Benefactor,  The,  477 

Battles,  In  seventeen,  139 

Blank  cartridge,  55 

Baptized  in  infancy,  320 
Beating  against  strong  current,  444 

Beach-combers,  27 

Beam  ends.  On  her,  30 

Breakers,  Hauled  out  of,  441 
Beecher,  Rev.  J.  C,  histestimo- 

^  ny.  477 

Beauregard,  U.  S.  S.,  444 

Blessed  to  die  for  His  cause,  157 

BlesL  be  the  tie  that  binds,  48 1 

Benevolent  operations,  240 

Bible,  My  first,  36 

Bilile  in  the  forecastle,  54 

Bible  colporteur,  112 

Bible  at  bottom  of  chest,  124 

Bible  thrown  overboard,  246 

Bible  class,  Chinese,  274 

Bible,  a  precious  book  to  me,  323 

Bible  class.  Weekly,  457 

Billow,  The  brig,  37 

Billows,  The  lashing  439 

Birth  of  a  new  enterprise,  205 

Brig  Byron,  The,  40 

Brig  Delight,  The,  69 

Blindness,  Spiritual  removed,  177 

Bisby,  James,  Conversion  of  282 
Broadside,  The  first,  of  the  ene- 

'"X'  55 

Boatmen  of  the  Mississippi,  80 

Boatmen,  Preaching  to,  81 

Boatmen's  church  organized,  83 
Boatmen's  church.  Corner-stone 

of,  laid,  84 

Boatmen's  church  dedicated,  84 

Bottle,  Tempted  by  the,  476 

Blood,  Efficacy  of  the,  125 

529 


530 


INDEX. 


Blood,  Last  drop  for  the  flag, 
Brooklyn,  U.  S.  Frigate, 
Brooklyn,  her  noble  pay-master, 
Buhner,  Albert,  his  progress, 
Bull  Run,  Wounded  at, 
Burden,  An  awful, 
Burdened  Souls, 
Call  to  St.  Louis, 
Call  to  New  York, 
Change,  The  happy, 
Changes,  Marvellous, 
Changed  man.  A, 
Cabin,  From  the  forecastle  to 

the, 
Capsized  off  Hatteras, 
Captain,  A  praying. 
Candles.  A  few  more. 
Cape  Town,  Glorious  scenes  at. 
Characteristics,  Well-marked, 

403, 

Cast  away  again, 

Cast  away  a  third  time. 

Captain  proud  of  his  crew, 

Captain  encouraging  the  meet- 
ing, . 

Chaplain,  2,500  souls  without 
one, 

Chaplains,  Only  seven  to  208 
ships. 

Chaplains  indifferent, 

Chaplain  Stewart's  testimony, 

Cleansing  blood,  The, 

Clear  of  the  land, 

Crews  desert, 

Crew,  a  godless. 

Crew,  a  banner. 

Crew  embittered  against  con- 
verts, 

Child,  a  httle,  shall  lead  them, 

Child  again,  I  was  a, 

Christ  Jesus,  Rejoicing  in, 

Christian  sailors  a  curiosity. 

Christian,  A  wild. 

Christian  men,  575  in  157  ves- 
sels 

Christian,  A  consistent, 

Coadjutors,  My  faithful, 

College,  Enter, 

College  Prayer-meeting, 

Converts,  Two  young, 

Converts  become  ministers, 

Convert,  Labors  of  a. 

Convert,  The  Chilian, 


476 
426 
426 
370 

438 
196 

80 

87 

^9 
518 

174 

173 
115 
171 
429 
492 

406 
171 

173 
481 

444 
466 

525 
475 
341 

50 

57 

27 

32 

470 

465 
244 
460 

178 

62  I 
447  ] 

525; 
no  I 
205  j 

73 

73  i 


79 
246 


Convert,  Labors  of,  in  Chili,       251 
Convert,  Happy  death  of,  255 

Congress,  U.  S.  Ship,  430 

Congress,  U.S.  Ship,  before  the 

attack,  431 

Congress,  her  praying  sailors, 

432, 
Congress,  Brave  defence  of. 
Covenant  in,  with  God, 
Converted,  A  ship's  crew, 
Converted,  Three  nationalities. 
Converted,  Ten  in  the  forecastle, 
Converted,  Spanish  sailors. 
Converted,  thirteen  of  the  crew. 
Converted,  hopefully,  over  70, 
Conversion  of  15  officers, 
Converts,  One  hundred. 
Converts  in  twos  and  threes, 
(Converts,    Crew     embittered 

against  the 
Converts,  Forty  on  board  H. 

B.  M.  S.  Acteon, 
Consecration  to  Christ, 
Consecrating  prayer.  The, 
Correspondence,  Value  of,  153, 
Correspondence  retroactive. 
Correspondence,     Origin     and 

purpose  of, 
Correspondence,  Extent  of. 
Correspondence,    U.  S.  S.    St. 

Louis, 
Correspondence  appreciated. 
Correspondence     with     N.    Y. 

Port  Society, 
Correspondents  on  208  men  of 

war. 
Conviction    of    sin.    The    first 

heavy,  19, 

Conscience  to  the  fore, 
Comfort  in  the  night  watches. 
Colors  nailed  to  the  mast, 
Colored  disciple  sustained. 
Colonizing, 

Commodore,  the,  at  the  head. 
Commodore  choked  with  emo- 
tion, 493 
Co-workers  with  Christ,  89 
Corroborative  testimony, 
Cloud,  Under  a. 
Communion,  the  first, 
Counsel,  Christian, 
Confusion  worse  confounded 
Consul,  Tiie  inhuman. 


440 
44i 

439 
199 
117 
118 
188 

273 
502 

495 
203 

430 
468 

481 

56 

57 

154 

154 

191 

192 

327 
512 

513 

525 

125 
163 

245 
332 
442 
458 
473 


70 

479 
201 

503 
304 
281 


INDEX. 


531 


Curiosity,  The  sailor  a, '  364 

Church,'  Unite  with  the,  60 

Church  work  in  1856,  144 

Church,  A  straight  wake  for  the  147 
Church  organized  on  a  union 

basis,  98 

Churches,  Stirring  up  the  151 

Church  packed,  238 

Church,  The  awaking,  349 

Church  Militant  and  Trium- 
phant, 372 
Church  members  increased,  241 
Church,  Chinese,  stirred  up,  476 
Cumberland,  U.  S.  S.  429 
Cumberland,  her  hopeless  fight,  430 
Cumberland   goes    down   with 

her  ensign  apeak,  430 

Cruise,  End  of  the,  21 

Cyclone,  A,  26 

Dark  preceding  the  dawn,  47 

Darkest  of  dark  days,  39 

Darkness  made  visible,  51 

Dark  side  of  humanity  at  sea,  399 
Daily  service  to  end  of  cruise,  472 
Daily  food,  The  Christian's,  56 

Debauchery  and  shame.  172 

Death's  door,  At,  22 

Death  calm  and  peaceful,  137 

Death  full  of  hope,  176 

Death,  A  happy,  242 

Death-bed  triumphs,  255 

Deaths  oft,  In,  278 

Death  physical  and  life  spirit- 
ual, 490 
Defection  of  a  few,  476 
"Devil,    Now    IVIr.,    I've    got 

you,"  293 

Devil  a  hard  master,  55 

Decisive  moment,  The,  161 

Diary,  A  blank,  189 

Diary,  Exti-acts  from,  266,  331 

Dirt  and  rags,  168 

Divine  seed,  77 

Divine  service  at  sea,  203 

Divine  service  maintained,  457 

Dissipation,  121 

Discouragements,  390 

Discussion,  The  long,  382 

Don,  U.  S.  Steamer,  453 

Doom  of  an  infidel,  85 

Door  open  to  testify  for  Christ,  441 
Downward  course,  122 

Do  you  love  God  ?  244 


Dying  appeal.  The, 

Early  life, 

Early  advantages, 

Escape,  A  wonderful. 


180 

13 
121 

21,  446 


73 
26 

443 

221 

443 
3-1 
526 


Examined  by  Dr.  Ashbel  Green, 

Eden,  The  barque. 

Element,  In  his. 

Electricity,  Converted  through, 

Everything  for  the  best, 

Experience,  The  captam's. 

Extent  of  the  work, 

Elliott,  Captain  Samuel,  Mission 

ary,  213 

Elliott  converted  at  sea,  2 1 5 

Elliott  licensed  to  preach,  217 

Elliott,  his  sermon  at  Honolulu,  218 
Elliott,  his  happy  death,  220 

Englishman,  The  younp-,  153 

Evil  courses,  33 

Evil  overcome  with  good,  435 

Efforts,  unselfish,  blest,  203 

Europe,  Trip  to,  513 

Eyes,  My,  opened,  56 

Fatal  fire  in  May,  1849,  82 

Farevvell  tc  college  life,  74 

Farewell  sermon,  87 

Farewell  letters,  202 

Farewell  meeting,  April   27th, 

1859,  344 

Flag,    The   rebel,    must    come 

down,  449 

Flag,  U.  S.  steamer,  449 

Flagship  of  African  Squadron,  456 
Father  converted,  131 

Failure,  The  secret  of,  43 

Family  altar  in  the  forecastle,  151 
Faithful  to  their  shipmates,  432 

Faithful  among  the  faithless,  472 
Faithful  worker.  A,  211 

Fear  of  judgment  taken  away,  124 
Fears  of  death  and  hell,  41 

Features  of  the  revival  (U.  S.  S. 

St.  Louis),  4-4 

Feed    body  and    soul    at   same 

time,  59 

Fred.  Star  awakened,  115 

Fred.  Star's  soul  thirst,  116 

Fred.  Star,  his  life  teaching,  117 
Fred.  Star  in  the  revenue  cutter 

Jos.  Lane,  ^^7 

Fred.  Star  enters  U.  S  Navy,  118 
Fred  Star  still  living  for  God,  118 
First  fruits,  ^^^ 


53- 


INDEX. 


First-born,  The  voice  of  my,  137 

Fiery  ordeal,  The,  429 

Fire  burning  to  the  last,  176 
Fire,  Under,                  429*  522,  523 

Fire  of  divine  love  burned  on,  455 

Focal  point,  A,  368 

Forecastle,  Aicurious,  290 

Forepeak,  In  the,  369 

Forepassage,  Meetings  in  the,  473 

Foretop,  Letter  from  the  464 

F'ormidable  difficulties,  410 

Forty  thousand  miles  safely,  499 

F>uit  unto  eternal  life,  126 

Fruit  appearing,  1 96 

Gate  of  heaven.  The  very,  462 

Gathering  the  crew,  100 

Grace  sufficient  for  me,  449 

Grateful,  Sailors  are,  181 

Grateful  letter.  A,  384 

Grateful  for  counsel,  463 

Grateful  for  correspondence,  478 
Gardner,  Joseph  H.,             212,  213 

Graphic  delineation,  494 

Gelston,  Captain  Roland,  207 

German  sailor,  a  missionary,  148 

Germs,  season  of,  loo 

Gem  of  purest  ray  serene,  A  494 

Grey,  Sir  George,  491 

Grief,  Convulsed  with,  146 

God  is  with  us,  473 

God  has  been  with  us,  486 

God  forgotten,  170 
Gold  lace  and  blue  flannel,  485,  493 

Gospel  ship.  A,  485 
Governing  a  crew  on  Christian 

principles,  482 

Good  work  inaugurated,  442 

Good  work  suff"ered  a  check,  495 

Good  seed  prayerfully  sown,  480 

Grog,  180  men  stop  their.  324 

^  Grog-tub  the  chief  difficulty,  411 

Growth,  Evidences  of,  273 
Gulf  squadron,  Mission  work  of,  392 

Gunner,  The  aged,  442 

Guilt,  Agonies  of,  48 

Gun-room  offered  for  service,  319 

Gutter,  One  roll  in  the,  517 

Half,  The,  will  never  be  told,  408 

Hand  in  the  dark.  The,  319 
Hand  on  shoulder,                 284,  438 

Hadley,  Geo.,  dies  at  sea,  241 

Harvest  time,  A  blessed,  243 


Happier  than  ever,  152 

Harris,  Wm.  D.,  206 

Hartford,  U.  S,  S.  Frigate,  469 

Hartford,  her  moral  beauty,  470 
Hartford,  blessed  work  of  grace 

on  board,  474 
Hartford's, The, "true  as  steel,"  477 

Happy  nights,  183 

Happy  captain,  happy  crew,  201 

Happy  path  of  life.  The,  440 

Hawks,  Captain  Jos.  H.,  222 
Hawks,  Capt.,  his  blessed  work,  226 
Hawks,  Captain  Jos.  H.,  lost 

at  sea,  235 

Hell  upon  earth,  173 

Hell  fire.  In  danger  of,  438 

Helland,  Rev.  Ola,  21 1 

Heart  of  adamant,  A.,  42 

Heart,  The,  opened,  177 

Hearts  opened,  461 

Heaven,  My  soul  is  in,  450 

Hebrew  sailor  converted,  399 

Heretic,  The  young,  126 

Heroism,  True,  1 1 1 

History,  A  remarkable,  167 

History,  A  brief,  of  43  years,  385 

Historic  summary,  498 

Home,  Leaving  my,  16 

Home  of  my  soul,  53 

Home  at  last,                         150,  384 

Home,  A  desolate,  135 
Hong  Kong,                           475,  477 

Hope,  A  ray  of,  52 

Hope,  In  the  band  of,  138 

Hope  revived,  477 

Hope,  No,  125 

Hubbard,  Luther  P  210 

Hudson,  Commodore  .^m.  L.,  485 

Insane  purpose.  The,  44 

Island,  Lord  Howe's,  155 

Iceberg,  Run  into  an,  127 

Ice,  The  broken,  200 

Idea,  born  of  God,  An,  459 

Impression,  Permanence  of,  199 

Interest  increasing,  324 

Interest,  renewed.  A,  479 

Infidel  reclaimed,  383 

Invitation  complied  with,  180 

Invitation,  Blessed,  242 

"I  will  if  I  die  by  it,"  287 

Innocent  punished.  The,  425 
Intoxicated,  Only  two  out  of  200,  479 


INDEX. 


533 


Iron  hearts  that  win, 
Iroquois,  U.  S.  S., 
Illumining  the  world, 


525 
453 
397 


Jensen,    Anders,    born   of  the 

spirit, 
Jensen,  Anders,    his   meekness 

and  boldness, 
Jensen,  Anders,  a  Bible  colpor- 
teur, 
Jensen,  Anders,  enters   the  U. 

S.  Navy, 
Jensen,  Anders,  his  zeal  for  the 

Lord, 
Jensen,    Anders,    lost    in    the 

Bainbridge, 
*' Jerusalem  Crickets," 
Jesus,  I  want  to  love, 
Jesus,  One  smile  from, 
"Jesus,  Introduce  me  to," 
Jesus  loved  in  all  parts  of  the 

ship, 
Jesuit,  The  young,  converted, 
Jew,  A  converted, 
John  iii.  16, 
"Joseph  Lane,"  U.S.  Revenue 

Cutter, 
Journal,  Extracts  from  my, 
Joy  unspeakable, 
Joy  and  grief. 

Judgment,  The,  a  long  way  off. 
Judgment,  The  fear  of,  lost, 
*'Just  as  I  am," 
Kindness  of  officers  appreciated 
Kindred  organizations. 
Kneels  to  God  only. 
Knock,  the  Saviour's,  heard, 
Labors  multiplied, 
Labors  largely  increased, 
Labors  in,  more  abundant. 
Labors,  pastoral,  appreciated. 
La  Fayette  College, 
Lamb  of  God,  Behold  the, 
Lamb  of  God  my  guide, 
"Lancaster,"  U.  S.  S.,  Work 

of  grace  on  board. 
Languages  spoken, 
Largest  of  all  meetings, 
Last  call,  The, 
Last  communication. 
Lectures  to  young  men.  Seven, 
Letter,  Your,  a  ministering  an- 
gel, 184 


107 
III 

"3 
114 
114 

"5 
479 
268 

295 
374 

490 
J33 
399 
124 

116 

190 

64 

137 

86 

124 

461 

472 

99 
128 
178 
205 
23S 

243 
462 

73 
283 

452 

118 
273 

296 

454 
162 


Letter,    Your,    has   awakened 

many,  ^^q 

Letters,  Testimonial,  89,  92 

Letter,  A  remarkable,  377 

Letters  read  by  officers  and  men,  449 


508 
326 
353 
79 
125 
386 

444 

457 
461 
221 
481 

308 

333 
452 
197 

444 
446 


Letter  to  a  sailor  boy, 
Leaders,  other,  to  the  front, 
Leaven  of  the  gospel. 
Licensed  to  preach, 
Light,  A  ray  of. 
Light  spreading. 
Light,  letting  it  shine, 
Light,    Spiritual,    on  a  dark 

coast. 
Light  in  the  darkness. 
Lightning;  what  it  did, 
Like  captain,  hke  crew. 
Lord's  Supper  on  the  gun-deck, 

The, 
Lord's   Supper   on   the   berth- 
deck. 
Lord's  work  delightful. 
Loss  of  ship  St.  Denis, 
Lot,  contented  with  my, 
Louis,  Ferdinand,  ^„ 

Love  of  God,  Wrapped  up  in  the,  150 
Low  water,  j^g 

Loyal  to  Christ  and  to  the  flag,  395 
Man-of-war,  Life  in,  17 

Man  overboard,  A,  58,  152 

Man-of-war,  A.     A  sad  place,  '  435 
Man's  extremity,  God's  oppor- 
tunity, 
Man  proposes,  God  disposes, 
Marshall,  Frank,  Anecdote  of. 
Marine  poly-glot,  A, 
Mariners'  Church,    History  of 

the,  y^ 

Marmers'  Church,  Influence  of,  179 
Mariners'  Church  largely  rep 

resented. 
Mariners'  House  opened. 
Men-of-war  visited, 
Merrimac,  the  rebel  ram. 
Message,  The  dying. 
Meet  above.  We  shall, 
Meetings  on  board  men-of-war. 
Meetings  twice  a  day  at  sea. 
Meetings  in  camp. 
Meetings,    All   previous,    sur- 
passed, 
Meetings  on  the  spar-deck, 
McKean,  Commodore, 


412 
362 
424 
257 

97 


347 
241 
238 

441 
179 

453 
466 

473 
451 


493 
500 

497 


534 


INDEX. 


Mexico,  Mission  work  in, 

132,392,394,  418 

Ministry,  First  idea  of  the,  63 
Ministry,  Way   to  study  for, 

opened,  64 

Ministry,  My  first  at  St.  Louis,  80 

Ministry,  Intended  for  the  121 
Ministry,  Two  colored  sailors 

preparing  for  the,  418 

Mission  work  in  the  Tortugas,  418 
Mission  in  Grey  Town  and  in 

San  Domingo,  419 

Missionary  to  whalemen,  77 
Missionary  zeal  of  converts, 

148,  187 
Missionary  Sailor  on  the  prairies,  157 
Mizzen-top,  Prayer-meeting  in 

the,  414 

Missive,  An  affectionate,  198 

Missing  Barque,  The  236 

Modern  Diaspora,  The,  466 

Mohawk,  U.  S.  S.,  The,  429 

Moral  courage,  441 

Monitor  and  Merrimac,  The  430 

Monthly  concert  of  prayer,  191 
Morris,  John  A.,  his  story,  301,  419 

Moses  and  the  prophets,  321 

Motherly  solicitude,  330 

Mother's  influence.  A,  367 

Murphy,  Rev.  E.  D.,  D.D.,  528 

Mystery,  Solution  of  the,  182 

Mystic,  U.  S.  Steamer,  462 

Narrative,  Close  of,  517 
Nationalities,  ten  received  into 

Church,  269 

Naval  chaplains,  392 

Naval  officers,  testimony  of,  350 

Navy  depleted,  452 

Neptune,  game  dedicated  to,  397 

Never  known  in  China  before,  477 

New  experience,  A  captain's,  474 

New  London,  Labors  in,  77 

New  man  in  Christ  Jesus,  A,  461 

New  resolves,  40 

New  springs  of  grace,  338 
Niagara,  U.  S.  Steam  Frigate, 

a  gospel  ship,  485 

Niagara,  Preach  on  board  of,  487 

Niagara,  blessed  revival,  489 
Niagara,  nucleus  of  church  on 

board,  499 
Niagara  at  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  491 

Niagara  a  happy  ship,  496 


Niagara  a  model  of  naval  arch- 
itecture, 498 
Niagara  enjoyed   revival   over 

two  years,  502 

North  Carolina,  U.  S.  Receiv- 
ing Ship,  299 
North    Carolina,    Revival     on 

board,  302 

Novel  sight, ^V,  475\ 

Noon  prayer-meetings,  237 

Noon   prayer-meetings  on  five 

ships  at  sea,  270 

Neon  prayer-meetings  on  board 

U.  S.  S.  Constellation,  463 

"Not  to-night,"  124 

"  Now  or  never,"  r6i 

Nouvelle  Caledonia,  141 

Obstacles  multiplied,  82 

Oases  in  the  moral  waste,  466 

"Onward,"  U.  S.  ship,  442 

On  the  Lord's  side,  Still,  444 

Organization  on  a  Union  basis,  98 
Once  more  afloat,  452 

One  soul,  the  value  of,  443 

One  thing  needful,  437 

Open  Bible,  The,  48 

Open  my  mouth  for  the  Lord,  60 
Open  door,  Entering  every,  166,  205 
Overboard,  Fall,  21 

Overboard,  Five  men,  29 

Overboard,  Helmsman,  30 

Ohio  U.  S.  Receiving  Ship,  337,361 
<(     <.  <i  ,,     corre- 

spondence from  the,  362 

Officers  refuse  to  take  the  oath,  495 
Officers,  Fifteen  converted,  502 

Officers,  testimony  of,  500,  521 

Officers,  C!hristian,  457 

Officers  hiding  their  tears,  475 

Old  things  passed  away,  519 

Old  Slip  meeting,  350 

Old  things  fast  fading  away,  198 
Original  thirteen.  The,  458 

Old  North,  the.  Converts  of,  353 
"Old  North,"  Reflex  influence 

of,  360 

"Old  North,"  Converts  of,  in 

the  army,  362 

"Old  North,"  Converts  study- 
ing for  the  ministry,  364 
Opposition,  No,  encountered,      457 
Orlop-deck  meeting,             303,  304 
Outside  testimony,                 340,  480 


INDEX. 


535 


Pane  of  glass,  The  broken,  15 

Pastorate  resigned,  513 

Pastoral  letters,  503 

Place  of  meeting  providential,  499 
Path  of  the  just,  471 

Pawnee,  U.  !S.  S.,  429 

Plank,  Commodore  on  the  same,  497 
Paraphanalia  of  a  sailor's  needs,  5 1 1 
Passed  from  death  unto  life,  241 
Prayer,  the  midnight,  38 

Prayer,  Asking  for,  53 

Prayer  at  the  mast-head,  58 

Prayer  in  the  forecastle,  no 

Prayer,  Silent,  145 

Prayer  in  the  hatch  house,  157 

Prayer,  That  simple,  133 

Prayer  answez-ed,  172,  201,  275,  278 
Prayer  in  the  cabin,  201 

Prayer  my  greatest  enjoyment,  473 
Prayer-laden  ships,  477 

Prayerless  years,  Fourteen,  267 
Pray  for  me,  186 

Pray  and  pump  and  pump  and 

pray,  278 

Persecution,  rife.  437 

Presbytery,  Received  by  the,  71 
Presbytery,    taken   under  the 

care  of,  129 

Presentation  of  plate,  87 

Pains  of  hell,  46 

Praise  in  many  languages,  268 

Pricked  in  the  heart,  179 

Pious  seamen  appreciated,  521 

Princeton  Seminary,  75,  332 

Princeton,  Second  Church  of,  76 
Privilege,  A  new,  476 

Port  Society, The,  Non-Sectarian,  97 
"  Portsmouth,"  U.  S.  Ship,  463 
"  Portsmouth,"  Crew  of,  unkind,464 
Power  of  God,  The  gospel,  the,  455 
Powhatan,  U.  S.  Frigate,  422 

Problem,  A  difficult,  391 

Profane,  Precociously,  223 

Profanity  aft,  62 

Professor,  The  only  one  in  the 

ship,  442 

Profligate  life  abandoned,  187 

Prophets  of  evil,  98 

Protestant,  heart  and  soul.  A,  134 
Prayer -meeting  at  college,  73 

Prayer-meeting  in  Princeton,  75 
Prayer-meeting,  Results  of,  76  [ 

Prayer-meeting  greatly  blest,       309 


Prayer-meeting,  The  most  re- 
markable. 

Prayer-meeting  in  Yeoman's 
store-room. 

Prayer-meeting  on  the  sound. 

Prayer-meeting  in  a  heathen 
temple. 

Prayer-meeting  daily  at  sea  in 
naval  and  merchant  vessels. 

Prayer-meeting,  only  one  in 
many  months. 

Prayer-meeting  in  the  cabin, 

Prayer-meeting  on  board  U.  S. 
Frigate  Congress, 

Prayer-meeting  protected. 

Prayer-meeting  in  the  dispen- 
sary, 

Prayer-meeting  never  heard  of 
before. 

Prayers,  Millions  of,  going  up. 

Perdition,  Going  to,  for  twelve 
years. 

Pledge,  Sixty  sailors  sign  the, 

Peril's  brink.  On, 

Peril,  Again  in. 

Persevere,  Determined  to. 

Peace  at  the  Cross, 

Peace,  An  inward, 

Preach,  Inward  call  to, 

Preach  to  a  thousand  sailors  on 
the  gun-deck, 

Precocity  in  sin. 

Precocity,  A  marvellous, 

Permanent  impressions. 

Public  approval. 

Pumps,  At  the,  for  twenty-one 
days,  172 

"  Pursuit,"  U.  S.  Storeship,  the,  429 

Pushing  on  alone,  58 

"Pylades,"  H.  B.  M.  Ship,  16 

Physician,  The  Great,  49 

Quarter-deck, On  the,once  more,  1 74 


313 

327 
337 

339 

348 

435 
438 

440 

457 

460 

461 
312 

487 
458 

23 
172 
184 
242 

457 
162 

319 

30 
407 
400 


Quaint  introduction.  A, 

Questions  answered,  184, 

Questions,  A  child's, 

Quiet,  A  sense  of. 

Raft,  saved  in  answer  to  prayer. 

On  a, 
Raftery,    Prof.    Thos.,  A.   M., 

LL.B., 
Raftery,    Prof.,    tells   his   own 

story, 
Reading  tracts  ridiculed, 


80 
402 
244 
124 

127 


257 
160 


536 


INDEX. 


Ready  to  die,  442 

Reaction,  A  temporary,  478 

Request,  A  modest,  424 

Request,  The  last  earthly,  372 

Religion  scoffed  at,  123 

Religion  before  the  mast,  155 

Religion,  A  sailor  will  not  hide 

his,  188 

Religious  impressions,  The  first,  13 
Religious  seamen  esteemed,  349 
Religious  seamen  best  men  in 

the  ship,  521 

♦'Relief,"  U,  S.  Store-ship, 

390,  425,  467 
Reminiscence,  A  pleasing,  45 

Resignation  of  pastorate,  514 

Revival  in  Monmouth  Co.,  N.J.,  79 
Revival  in  college,  203 

Revival  in  Princeton,  N.  J.,  76 

Revival  in  Chicago,  204 

Revival,  A  precious,  in  the  navy, 

237,  299 
Revival  preceding  the  rebellion,  395 
Revival    extending    over    two 

years,  502 

Rejoicing  over  new-born  souls,  453 
Reproof,  A  polite,  349 

Resolves,  The  broken,  39 

Resolves,  The  wicked,  67 

Resources,  Limited,  82 

Resolution,  The  sanctified,  180 

Resolutions  complimentary,  514 
Refuge,  God  my,  135 

Requiem  of  departed  souls,  31 

Results  of  visit  to  Santa  Cruz,  71 
Results  gathered,  88 

Ridicule  endured,  187 

Riding  the  tidal  wave,  238 

"Roanoke,"  U.  S.  Frigate,  434 
Rogers,  Frank,  440 

I  Rogers,  Frank,  an  honor  to  his 

profession,  447 

Royal  seed,  A,  353 

Rum  jug.  The,  at  a  discount,  66 
Rum  under  our  feet,  96 

Rum  and  bad  company,  177 

Sabbath,  he  would  not  break,  187 
Sabbath  desecration,  81 

Sabbath-school  work,  73 

Salvation,  Seeking,  243 

Salvation  carried  to  nine  vessels 

by  one  man,  352 

San  Jacinto,  U.S.  S.,  466 


Santa  Cruz,  Island  of,  62 

Saratoga,  U.  S.  S.,  390,  466 

Satan  raging,  417 

Savannah,  U.  S.  S.,  271,  386 

Saved  many  times,  183 

Sharks,  Among  hundreds  of,  174 
Slaves,  Religious,  62 

Star,  Fred.,  115 

Star  of  Hope,  The,  245 

Swarm,  The  first,  325 

Sailor,  A  preacher,  148,  165 

Sailor,  A,  at  college,  working 

for  Christ,  203 

Sailor  turned  professor,  256 

Sailor's  Home,  42,  208 

Sailor's  Home  prayer-meeting,  200 

Sailors  looking  to  the  ministry,  239 

"     the  Lord  had  blest,  440 

*'     know  when  they  are  well 

treated,  482 

Sailors  promoted  to  the  quarter 

deck,  468 

Saviour's  sake,  For  the,  392 

<'Sea  Bird,"  The,  established,  240 
Sea  boy's  story.  A,  436 

Sea,  Farewell  to  the,  64 

Seamen  are  grateful,  181 

Seamen  are  accessible,  184 

Sea  sports,  19 

Sea,  Struck  by  a,  30 

Secretary  of  the  U.  S.  N.,  Tes- 
timony of  the,  519 
Separate,  to  labor  for  Christ,       246 
Sheaves,  bringing  in  his,               271 
Stewart,  Rev.  Chas.  S.,  U.S.N., 

341,  4S8,  492 
Swearer's  prayer,  The,  37 

Swearing,  No,  on  board,  64 

Sweat-boxes,  New  use  for,  '63,  473 
Seed,  Confidence  in  the,  444 

Seed,  Goodly,  sown,  242,  307 

Seed,  Scattering  the  good,  2;^t, 

Seed-time,  161 

Sweetmeats,  My,  151 

Scenes  re-enacted,  361 

Scenes,  Nightly,  described,  494 

Self-reformation  a  failure,  159 

Self-sacrificing  effort,  460 

Seven  years'  correspondence,  422 
Swede,  The  faithful,  299 

Seminole,  The  U.  S.  Steamer,  390 
Service,  Divine,  on  shipboard,  201 
Services,  Twenty -one  a  week,     239 


INDEX. 


537 


Special  efforts  for  the  navy,  238 
Sermon,  The,  set  me  thinking,  180 
Sermon  that  was  a  happy  one 

to  me,  197 

Sepoy  mutiny.  The,  24 

"Sick,  and  ye  visited  me,"  183 
Sick  at  Tahiti,  122 

Signs  of  the  times,  236 

Simile,  A  quaint,  193 

Sin,  A  sense  of,  crushing,  36,  196 
Sinner,  A  hardened,  at  sixteen,  21 
Sinner,  The,  377 

Sins  like  mountains,  438 

Sister's  gratitude.  A,  385 

Sixty  years  in  sin,  ^       294 

Scriptures,  A  sailor  distributing 

the,  156 

Ship,  Join  my  first,  17 

Ship  "  Birmingham,"  of  Bath,  49 
Ship  "  Colorado,"  The  ill-fated,  279 
Ship  "  Harkaway,"  35 

Ship  dashed  to  pieces,  281 

Ship  fever.  Stricken  down  with,  129 
Shipmate  converted,  60 

Shipmate's  story  told  by  himself,  66 
Ships  "  Prayer-laden,"  477 

Ship  "  Robert  Parker,"  199 

Ship  "  St.  Denis,"  Loss  of,  189 

Ship  to  pray,  61 

Shipwrecked  a  second  time,  171 
Shipwrecked  three  times,  286 

Spirit,  The,  moving  on  the  wa- 
ters, 440 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  everywhere,  452 
Spirit,  Quench  not  the,  123 
Spirits  good  and  bad,  96 
Spiritual  agencies  multiplied,  338 
Stick,  Do  they  ?  400 
"Stick  to  it.  Here's,"  56 
Souls,  Longing  for,  1 18 
Success,  The  secret  of,  98 
Success,  Increased,  loi 
Success  among  shipmates,  151 
Sudden  death,  sudden  glory,  115 
Summary  of  labors,  A  brief,  243 
Sunk  off  Tybee  Island,  136 
Supply,  U.  S.  Store-ship,  390 
"  Susquehanna,"  U.  S.  S.,  390,  394 
Student  life,  73 
Studies  abandoned,  13 1 
Study  for  the  ministry,  163 
Study,  The  pastor's,  a  bureau,  154 
Sturdy  helpers,                              477 


Sympathy,  Christian,  potent,       481 
Sole  survivor  of  the  crew,  60 

Solemnity  past  description,  312 

Sobriety,  A  marvel  of,  458 

Social  meeting.  The,  _      193 

Social  meeting.  Impressions  it 

produced,  194 

Solicitude,  Pastoral,  503 

St.  Louis,  U.  S.  S.,   work  of 

grace  on  board,  327 

Sondergaard,  Emil,  382 

Sons  of  men  become  sons  of  God,  452 
Songs  of  redeeming  love,  475 

School  of  Christ,  In  the,  407 

Schooner  Roanoke,  The,  61 

Schooner's  crew.  A,  65 

Sorrow  on  the  sea,  196 

Sorrowing  after  a  godly  sort,        478 
Stockbridge,  Rev.  Jos.,  U.S.N. 

118,  310 
Storm  and  calm,  43^ 

Storm  raging  within,  439 

Story,  A  wonderful,  168 

Strong  drink,  infatuating,  39 

Stronger,  All  getting,  333 

Soul  peril.  Great,  37 

Soul-seeking  along  the  wharves,     79 
Souls,  The  burden  of,  338 

Souls  converted  at  college,  73 

Souls  converted  at  Princeton,  76 
Souls,  1000  hopefully  converted,  527 
Souls,  760  received  into  Mari- 
ners' Church,  527 
Taken  in  tow,  80 
That  prayer  havmted  me,  103 
Thanksgiving  and  praise,  184 
Tarrying  by  the  stuff,  462 
Track,  On  his,  once  more,  140 
Tract  distribution,  60 
Tract,  results  of  a  single,  166 
Tracts,  Christ-killing,  59. 
Tracts  in  the  forecastle,  160 
Teaching  missionaries  a  lesson,  476 
Tears,  The  people  in,  238 
Tears,Men  and  women  moved  to,265 
Tears  streaming  from  all  eyes,  312 
Tears  for  the  godless,  442 
Tears,  Sailors  hiding  their,  308,  475 
Tears,  many  moved  to,  352,  487 
Tears  flowing  freely,  493 
Tears  uncontrolled,  501 
Temperance  encouraged,  458 
Tempted  by  the  bottle,                47^ 


538 


INDEX. 


Ten  years  of  wickedness,  159 
Terrors  of  the  law,  48 
Test,  A  crucial,  522 
Testament,  The  new,  133 
Testimony  of  a  Christian  mer- 
chant, 92 
Testimony  of  both  ends  of  the 

ship,  494 
Three  hundred  attending  service,473 
Tidings,  Bl.-ssed,  from  the  sea,  270 
Tidymg  up,  194 
Time,  It  is  the  last,  321 
Time,  The  last, it  rang  in  my  ears,  323 
Trials  and  conflicts,  59 
Trials  by  the  way,  410 
Toils  and  snares,  463 
Token  of  esteem.  A,  87 
Too  late  !  48 
Torch,  The  glowing,  398 
Touch,  The  power  of  a,  288 
Touching  scene,  A,  475 
Thoughts  of  the  heart  revealed,  162 
Two  are  better  than  one,  245 
True  to  covenant  vows,  468 
True  to  the  heart's  core,  472 
"  True  as  steel,"  478 
Trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  12  ) 
Truth  on  the  wing,  392 
Unanimity,  Singular,  351 
Uncle  Sam,  For,  at  any  price,  395 
Union  Church,  A,  98 
Union,  The,  gone,  fighting  be- 
gun, 495 
Union  meeting,  459 
Union,  The,  safe,  395 
Unit,  The,  263 
United  States,  Arrival  in  the,  34 
U.S. Navy  feeling  the  awakening,34g 
Unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond 

of  peace,  458 

Utterances  of  the  heart,  354 

Vacation  utilized,  79 

Varied  labors,  100 

Variety  of  duties,  240 
Vera  (^ruz,  Missionary  work  in,  132 
Vermont,  U.S.  line  of  batile  ship,  441 

Very  bad  man,  I  was  a,  155 
Vineyard,  Still  working  in  the 

Master's,  142 
Visits  of  Christian  sailors  inter- 
changed, 467 
Voluntary  efforts,  89 
Voluntary  Missionary  work,  155 


Volunteer  Missionaries,  459 

Wabash,  U.  S.  Frigate,  306 

Ward,  Mrs.  Capt.,  enthusiastic,  331 
Washed  ashore,  170 

Waste,  Why  this?  362 

Watch  and  watch  at  prayers,  474 
Watch-night,  The  sailor's,  144 

Watches  chosen,  57 

Waves,  Struggling  with  the,  170 
Whaling  voyage.  A,  122 

"  What  must  I  do?"  196 

What  hath  God  wrought,  455 

Way  to  study  opened,  The,  165 
Way  to  the  kingdom,  Show  me 

the,  167 

Web- feet.  The  swarthy,  27 

Web-feet,  Uncle  Sam's,  406 

Weeping  over  sin,  41,  266,  474 

Weeping,  Five  officers,  475 

Weeping  soul.  A,  107 

Weeping  souls,  2co 

Wife  dead  and  buried,  82 

W^ill  of  the  Lord  be  done,  The,  444 
Winner  of  souls,  A  noble,  422 

White  squall.  The,  21 

Wilson,  Thos.,  Conversion  of,  244 
Wilson,  Thos.,  lost  at  sea,  246 

Wonderful  change,  A,  439 

Work  that  must  be  done,  156 

Word  in  season,  120,  241 

Work,  In  the,  165 

Work,  Samples  of  the,  191 

Work  of  winning  souls,  150 

Work,  prominent  features  of  the.  35 1 
Work  among  the  soldiers,  451 

Work  of  grace  progressmg,  363 
Work  of  grace  unprecedented 

at  sea,  4^9 

Working  together  for  the  Lord,  453 
Working,  Method  of,  approved,  193 
World,  The  whole,  leavened,  353 
Worship  every  night,  4^4 

Worship  in  the  dark,  383,  432 

Worship  in  the  dark  for  two 

years,  4^4 

Worship  of  God  arrested,  465 

Worship  never  disturbed,  474 

Wyandotte,  U.  S.  S.,  424 

"Why  will  ye  die?"  266 

Yearning  for  souls,  5^ 

Youth,  A  godless,  169 

Youth,  An  amiable,  190 

Zeal,  Apostolic,  107 


